Forever After
by swissdog
Summary: Beginning the day after his awakening, what might lie in store for Hiccup, his friends, and his village
1. Chapter 1

Forever After, Chapter 1

"Good day, Stoick, sir," Astrid said by way of greeting, "Is Hiccup home?"

"No, he's not, Astrid," Stoick replied as he stood just outside the front door of his house. He was watching as a variety of dragons were flying, walking and perching here and there about the village of Berk.

"He left early this morning for the smithy and now he's up there," he said, pointing to a high spot just beyond the village bounds. "I think he and Toothless are getting some afternoon sun."

Astrid smiled and hurried off with a 'thank you'. She made her way along several lanes that ran through the village upwards towards the steep rises that flanked the more livable section of this part of the island. It wasn't long before she saw the black bulk of the Night Fury stretched out on the grass, his wings partially extended. She slowed and tried to edge around the apparently sleeping beast. Despite what she had seen and done over the past few weeks, she was still apprehensive about approaching the most feared of all the dragon species. Seven generations had bred that fear deep into the bone and mere logic and experience would need a lot of time to leech it out.

As she stepped past the long tail with the red artificial tailfin, she heard a deep rumble. The left wing folded back and she saw the one bright green eye regarding her over the recumbent form of Hiccup. The boy, the object of her search, was resting against the side of Toothless with the dragon's left foreleg forming a bolster on his right side. Hiccup's left leg, what remained of it, was visible but the wrought iron prosthetic fashioned by Gobber, his boss, was lying off to the side. She watched as the slitted iris that indicated the dragon was wary or angry resolved to a more friendly oval. The rumble continued and Hiccup's eyes opened and he looked first at Toothless and then back towards where the dragon was looking.

"Oh, hi, Astrid."

"Hi. Um, can I talk to you for a little bit?" she asked.

"Sure," he said, patting the grass next to him.

The blonde girl walked closer, avoiding the dragon's rear feet and stood next to Hiccup.

"The leg's bothering you?" she asked.

"Yeah, it gets sore. I guess it still needs to heal. You want to sit down?" he asked.

"Yes, but would you mind sliding forward a bit?" she asked.

The boy looked at her quizzically but managed to move away from Toothless' side about a foot. The lithe young Viking girl stepped up and managed to slide in behind him, one leg on each side, although the right one was squeezed a bit between his and the dragon. She then reached forward and slid her arms around him, the right under his and the left over his shoulder. She leaned back against the dragon and pulled him back against her and tightened her grasp.

"I liked how this felt when I was flying with you," she said quietly.

"So did I," Hiccup said with a sigh. "What did you want to talk about?" he asked.

Toothless, satisfied all was well, settled his head back down to resume his interrupted nap. Hiccup settled back some more, letting his head rest against Astrid's shoulder, the armor shoulder caps of her outfit not terribly uncomfortable.

"Well, I want to say some things to you and then we can talk about it when I'm done, ok?" she asked, her voice betraying her anxiety.

"Sure, if you want," Hiccup replied, wondering what had the girl, usually so self assured, so upset.

"Um, well, first I wanted to say that I know, we… me, have treated you really badly in the past. All the things we've done and said were really terrible. And I was probably the worst. None of us thought you were a Viking or would ever be one. And we figured what business did you have being in dragon training. None of us thought you had the right to call yourself a Viking."

At this last remark she felt him tense up and she tightened her grip, as if she feared he would try to pull away. She brought her chin to rest on his shoulder. Barely above a whisper, she said,

"We were so wrong, Hiccup. If we had only looked, we could have seen it. Bravery isn't always about standing your ground with a dragon coming at you. It can also be standing your ground when your whole village is against you. It's about pushing ahead when everyone tells you to stop. And it's continuing to believe you're right when everyone knows you're wrong," she finished, with a heavy emphasis on the word 'knows'.

Hiccup wasn't sure where Astrid was going but he was sure that now wasn't the time for him to say anything. He could feel her trembling and he silently marveled at the strength in those slender arms. He wondered if she was going to leave bruises. He heard and felt her take a shuddering breath.

"When it really counted," she began again, "when it was about life and death for maybe all of us, it was you. You saw what had to be done and you did it. You got us all to do it. You may not have your father's size, but you are certainly every bit the leader he is."

She fell silent for a time and then in a short voice close to his ear, she said,

"Now I need you to do something for me, Hiccup. I need you to tell me it doesn't matter. That everything I just told you doesn't matter."

Now she felt him take in a breath and let it out. He turned his head a little to try and see her a bit better and said,

"I can't do that, Astrid," and it was her turn to stiffen. "If I did that it would be a lie and I won't ever lie to you."

"Why would it be a lie, Hiccup?" she said, her voice barely audible.

"Because all of those things that you, everyone, had said were a big part of what made me keep pushing, kept me trying to become a real Viking. I needed to prove you were all wrong. I needed my father to have a reason to be proud of me. And," he said, drawing out the word, "I wanted you to think I was something, or someone, you could be interested in."

"You are."

"Finally. But look what had to happen. The truth is the way I feel about you right now is no different than how I have for nearly as long as I can remember. All the things you said and did never changed that. It made it harder, but it didn't change it. But I can't just say it doesn't matter."

They sat together in silence for some moments. Her grip on him was just as fierce and he had put his hands over hers. He could feel how rapid her breathing had become and then it started to slow. Finally she said,

"I think I can live with that, Hiccup. Better that we be honest with each other and work to heal the hurt than try and ignore it. I think some day they are going to call you Hiccup the Wise," she said.

"What are they calling me now?"

After a moment she said,

"That damned kid. As in 'I never thought that damn kid could do something like that' or 'I didn't thing that damn kid was going to make it."

Hiccup laughed and said,

"It's not the worst I've been called." Then after some thought he said, "Um, Astrid, what day is today?"

She told him.

"Really? What week?"

She told him.

"Three and a half weeks?" he asked incredulously.

"That's right," she said, releasing her grip on him so she could stroke the side of his head. "You were unconscious for the whole first week, delirious with a fever for the next three days, and then the elder gave you something that kept you asleep for the rest of the time. You did a lot of talking and mumbling through the fever and sleeping."

"I guess my dad told you about that?" Hiccup asked.

"Nope, heard it myself, we all did," Astrid answered.

"All?"

"Hiccup, you were never alone for more than five minutes for the whole time. We all took turns, the five of us, plus your dad and a lot of others. Toothless was there most of the time, too. Yesterday was the first time that he's flown in over three weeks," she said as she laid her cheek against his head.

After a few moments he said simply,

"Wow."

He sat quietly for a few moments and then said,

"Astrid, you shouldn't be feeling bad about all that stuff you told me, about how you and the others were treating me. Why should you have been treating me any different than all the others? I'm just glad we had a chance to work it out, you know?"

She didn't say anything in response, except to hold him tighter. He thought he felt something wet where her cheek rested against his but he chose not to say anything. They continued to sit there and watch the last warmish sunset before winter, but the first of many they would watch together.

The following week proved to be a hectic one for the residents of Berk. The last raid, the one during which Hiccup brought down Toothless, had cut deeply into the sheep flock and the village was facing a food shortage for the long winter. Fortunately, Hiccup wasn't the only thinker in town. Someone figured out that the dragons that had come to hang around the village and accept riders could be used to scout out the surrounding waters for schools of fish. With the number of ships lost in the fight with the monster dragon, the ships that remained needed to find those schools fast and often before the ice closed in. Hiccup joined the scouting efforts. He also took a couple of flights north to locate the leading edge of the pack ice. I wasn't all that far away. He was also able to report sightings of seals and other aquatic mammals that could be taken for food. If might not be such a hungry winter after all.

There was still tension in the village, however. One would assume that being freed of the dragon threat after nearly three hundred years would be the source of great relief but apparently it wasn't so. Some folks were upset over the loss of so many ships. Others were on edge over what the future held. Dragon fighting had been a corner stone of their society for generations and now they didn't know what to do. And Stoick, as the tribal chief, was becoming the focal point of all this discontent.

Things came to a head one evening as most of the village gathered in the big hall. Hiccup, Astrid and the others were sitting off to one side. Hiccup watched as his father moved from one table to another, discussing with some and arguing with others. Astrid sat at Hiccup's side, holding his hand.

"This could get ugly," she said.

"It's been ugly," Hiccup replied. "Tonight it could turn violent."

Things got progressively louder until several shouting matches erupted between some of the groups. Stoick finally walked up before the fireplace and bellowed,

"QUIET!"

It took a few moments for the shouting to subside but it finally got quiet enough so he could be heard without shouting.

"This wrangling gets us nowhere. If you have something to say, say it to me here and now."

"You nearly got us all killed on that island, Stoick," someone shouted from one side of the hall. "If it hadn't been for your son and those other kids on them dragons, we'd all be dead now."

"I know that," Stoick replied.

"Aye, 'tis true," Gobber said from his seat near the front, "but he kept his head and put himself between that monster and the rest of ya."

Comments for and against Gobber's statement were fired back and forth until someone stated loudly,

"And what about now, Stoick? You were always a good man to lead us in a fight, but without dragons attacking maybe we need someone new, someone who can think in new ways."

This started another round of shouting from table to table. Astrid leaned into Hiccup and said,

"He looks lost up there, Hiccup. I don't think he's ever had to fight his own people before."

Hiccup just nodded a bit and then stood up, took a deep breath and started walking towards the front of the hall. The sound of his wrought iron 'foot' echoed on the stone floor above the noise of the shouts. As he passed tables, those seated at them would nudge each other and whisper to one another. He finally came to stand next to his father. He didn't say a word. He just looked out at the assembled Vikings, his eyes sad, his mouth making a thin line across his face. The room slowly went quiet.

"You know, I always thought that I was the only Viking to be scared, to be afraid. I was afraid that I would never become a true Viking, to kill a dragon and earn the respect of my village, my classmates in training, my father. Then, a few weeks ago I saw something that made me think. I saw a Night Fury, wrapped in ropes that I had thrown at it with my launcher, and it was afraid, of me, or of what I might do to it. But I couldn't, wouldn't, kill it. So I became even more afraid. But things turned out they way they did and here we all are. And just a little while ago, sitting over there with my classmates, my friends, I realized something pretty amazing. I was sitting in an entire hall, full of frightened Vikings."

This started some grumbling around the hall.

"Yes, you are. You're frightened of the future. You're afraid of a future where killing a dragon isn't going to make you a true Viking. You're afraid of a future where fighting a dragon doesn't define us as a people anymore. But is that really true?"

The room got quieter.

"Now I didn't see how many dragons flew off when you broke up their nest, but Astrid and I saw how many there were when we were inside it. We haven't seen nearly that many around the village. Who's to say that the others might not take up raiding again? And was that monster the only one of its kind? I think there's plenty of things out there that we need to be concerned about. But you're letting your fear of the future make you angry and you're taking your anger out on Stoick. Some of you think you need a different leader. But different doesn't always mean better. I think we need to let the future happen for a while before we decide how we want to live it."

He looked around the room, many faces lost in shadows, many others lost in thought. Standing there for that length of time had started to take its toll on his injured leg. He looked up at his father and said,

"My leg is starting to hurt, Dad, I'm going home."

"Alright, son. I'll see you there in a while."

Hiccup slowly walked away from the fireplace toward the exit. Astrid hurried up to his side and offered her arm to Hiccup to help support him. The other youngsters followed after.

"It's a sorry lot we are to have to have a boy tell us what were about," Gobber said after taking a sip from his mug.

"He's hardly a boy anymore, Gobber," Stoick replied.

"Oh, ay, but it's true all the same."

The object of these observations was slowly but surely making his way to his home with some help from Astrid and plenty of moral support from the others. Even the twins, Ruff and Tuff, were refraining from their usual bickering.

"That was really amazing what you said in there, Hiccup. I don't think you have all that much to be afraid of anymore," Astrid offered.

"Oh, you mean all that? I guess so. But we still have a lot to be concerned about. I wasn't kidding about the rest of the dragons and what might be left on that island."

"You think we should think about goin' and lookin'?" Snoutlout asked.

"I think so. I think we should spend some time this winter thinking and talking about it. And then make some plans for when spring comes," Hiccup said.

This got some grins from the others. They hadn't said anything but with the prospect of peace where dragons were concerned, they were wondering what they had to look forward to in the years to come. Hiccup may just have offered them an option. As they neared the path that led up the hill to Hiccup's home the others offered him a good night and walked on to leave Hiccup and Astrid alone. This was either the result of a remarkable intuition on their part, or more likely, a good talking to by Astrid earlier in the evening.

They weren't entirely alone however. From the peak of the roof a pair of bright green eyes watched as Astrid pulled Hiccup's arm over her shoulder and slipped hers around his waist to help him up the path. The soreness in his leg had gotten worse and she could sense it. They finally made it up to the front door and Astrid moved around to stand in front of Hiccup, holding him in a loose hug.

"You'll be ok?"

"Sure. I'll go in and get rid of the hardware and just lay down. Toothless will keep an eye on me," he said, looking up over their heads, seeing the eyes and the outline of the dark face against the star studded night sky.

She nodded and then cocked her head to one side and looked at him for a few moments, her lips pulling up into a small smile.

"What?" Hiccup asked.

"I just still find it amazing that I never saw it. What you had inside. I should have, but I didn't."

"Don't let it bother you, Astrid. It doesn't bother me…anymore," he replied with his own small smile.

They leaned into each other and their kiss was soft and lingering. When it was over Hiccup had to grab hold of the door handle but he managed it well enough so that Astrid didn't suspect how weak in the knees he had become. She looked up and said,

"Come on down, Toothless. It's your turn to watch over him."

The Night Fury warbled a bit low in his throat and then jumped down, landing with a thud. Astrid gave him a pat and a scratch and then with a last look at Hiccup proceeded down the path and then took the lane home. Hiccup didn't move, or stop watching her until she was out of sight. He swung the door open and with one hand on Toothless' neck he slowly walked into his house to wait for his father to come home.


	2. Chapter 2

Forever After, Chapter 2

When Hiccup awoke he was still dressed in the clothes he wore the day before. He remembered limping into the house with Toothless following close behind and just making it to the bed before his leg gave out and he sat down hard on the edge of the mattress. He was able to unfasten the artificial leg before sleep overcame him. Obviously, someone, his dad in all likelihood, had gotten him arranged and pulled the bed fur over him.

Now, it looked like it was midmorning as he rubbed the sleep out his eyes. He looked around the big room and saw that Toothless was nowhere to be seen but his father was sitting by the fire, staring into the flames.

"Morning, Dad."

"Ah, good mornin', son. How are you feelin'?" Stoick asked.

"Pretty good. The leg is still a little sore."

"I'm afraid that's likely to go on for some time. Especially if you don't slow down a little. I know Gobber had problems for almost a year after he lost his. Let's not forget you've only been up and around for a short time. You need time to recover," Hiccup's father said.

"You look like you could use some sleep yourself. What time did you get in last night?" Hiccup asked.

"Was more like this mornin'. It wasn't all that far from dawn when I came in. There was a lot to talk about."

After a pause Hiccup asked,

"And what happened?"

"I'm still the chief of the tribe, if that's what you're askin'. Seems that after what you said they weren't all that sure it was time for a new leader," Stoick said with a bit of a smile. "A lot of 'em thought it was a good idea if I listened to what you say a bit more than in the past."

Hiccup had the decency to look thoroughly embarrassed, which he was. He assumed that his father had a sense of humor, although he could never remember ever seeing it, mostly because whenever he was around his father the man was either angry at him, angry at dragons or just plain angry. At the moment he couldn't tell what he might be thinking or feeling. He spotted a crutch by the side of the bed and looked questioningly at his father.

"Gobber thought you should have one for getting around the house when that thing he made gets to be too much for you while you're healing up. Oh and make sure you keep it clean. I'll make you some breakfast while you get yourself pulled together."

"Thanks, Dad. Oh, where's Toothless?"

"Him? He's up on the roof gettin' some sun."

Hiccup looked up at the hole in the roof where the smoke from the fire escaped and thought he saw the tip of his friend's tail twitching back and forth. Using the crutch, Hiccup hobbled over to where they kept the wash water. By the time he was finished his breakfast was laid out on the table. His father resumed his seat by the fire.

"So, son, you were serious about what you said last night, weren't you?"

"Yes, sir. We talked about it last night on the way home. I think we need to take a close look at that island come spring and see what's there. And I wouldn't be too quick to dismantle our defenses against dragons, either," Hiccup replied.

"You sure you want to do that, son?"

"Want to? No. Need to, yes."

Stoick just nodded. Hiccup was nearly through with his food when there was a pounding on the door. Stoick heaved himself out of his chair and went to see who it was. Hiccup heard the door swing open.

"Some visitors for you, son. Looks to be trouble. I'll leave you to it. I need to talk to Gobber."

Stoick pulled on his hat and fur cloak and went out. In trooped Astrid, Snoutlout, Ruff and Tuff, and Fishlegs. Astrid came over and sat next to him with Snoutlout on the other side and the rest across from him.

"How are you feeling this morning, Hiccup?" Astrid asked.

"Not bad. Leg's a little sore."

"We thought so. You looked pretty bad last night. You need more rest. So we thought we'd come here to talk about what you said last night instead of you having to come out," Astrid said.

"And to find out what happened with your dad. No one will tell us anything," Tuffnut said.

"Shut up," Ruffnut barked and elbowed her brother in the ribs. "Maybe he doesn't want to talk about it."

"It's okay. He told me. His still the chief because things may not have changed all that much," Hiccup said.

His companions all nodded but Astrid squinted at him a bit but said nothing further. Among the other dragon flyers, as they called themselves, Astrid was most likely the smartest. Hiccup was quite likely the smartest in all of Berk and was considered the first among the first, since he was the one to first fly a dragon and learn about their true nature. However, Astrid was certainly the most perceptive of the little group. Call it woman's intuition, call it what you like, but she could sense things about people and situations and she knew Hiccup wasn't telling everything. She thought he would likely tell her when the others weren't around. At least she hoped he had come to trust her enough to do so.

"Hey, Hiccup, we all decided on names for the dragons we ride," Snoutlout offered. "I call mine 'Rumbles' 'cause of the noise he makes when he's happy."

"Cool," Hiccup said, "what about you guys?" he directed to Ruff and Tuff.

"We call 'em Ratntat," Ruff said.

"Yes, my sides 'Tat' and hers is 'Rat'. She's got the gassy side. Which makes perfect sense to me," Tuff said.

This comment, and it was not the first, or last, time it was made, earned Tuff a punch to the upper arm. It should be noted that he would carry bruises almost continuously for the next year and more, because he couldn't resist making the same observation, long after the humor had been worn off the joke.

Poor Fishlegs looked a little embarrassed. While he would go down in the Viking sagas as the first true dragonologist, it was safe to say he didn't have much of an imagination, so when it came time to name the Gronckle the best he could come up with was,

"Gronck," he offered when Hiccup looked at him.

Hiccup nodded and said,

"Good one. Simple and straight to the point."

He turned and looked at Astrid who was giving him a penetrating look in return but she said,

"I call him 'Spikes' for obvious reasons. Of course, I say him, but I don't really know for sure."

The all turned to Fishlegs.

"Um, I didn't think to look," he said, which made everyone laugh, since he turned bright red as he said it.

The conversation turned to the possibilities of an expedition to the volcanic island come spring and it consumed what remained of the morning. As lunch approached there was a knock on the door. Astrid jumped up and ran to see who it was. The others heard her talking with someone and then she came back carrying two large pies.

"What's with those," Hiccup asked.

"I guess your dad mentioned we were all up here together and they didn't want you walking around looking for something to eat," Astrid said.

"Wow, that was nice of them," he replied but his eyes suggested something else.

The others went to the shelves were the bowls and cups were kept and soon they were all digging in. One was a mutton pie, the other seafood. Hiccup ate but he did so slowly and without any talking. The others could see he was distracted or upset but they tried to keep the conversation going. When they were finished with lunch the others cleared the table while Astrid sat next to Hiccup, taking hold of his hand. When he looked questioningly at her she just smiled at him. Ruff took one look at the young couple and knew what had to happen.

"Ok, I think we need to go check on the dragons. You guys will be ok without us for a while?"

"Sure," Astrid said with a nod.

When Tuff looked like he was going to object, Astrid glared at him so hard he almost fell over as he backed away. As the others left, Hiccup simply stared at the table in front of him. When the door closed with a thud Astrid slid a bit closer and put one arm around Hiccup's shoulder and asked,

"What's wrong, Hiccup? What is it about the pies that has you so upset?"

"I'm still the same person, aren't I? Well, minus a little bit, but I'm still me. Before, they didn't even want me out of the house or the blacksmith shop. Now they're making me pies for lunch. Why not before?" he asked.

At first Astrid didn't know what to say because she was one of the ones that used to cringe when she saw him outside, wondering what catastrophe he was going to cause. She pulled him closer and kissed the side of his face and then took a breath and began.

"Hiccup, it should be pretty easy to understand. Before, you hadn't done the most incredibly brave thing anyone around here has ever seen and before, they didn't feel so bad about how they had treated you and now need to find ways to do things for you as a way to make amends. And I think I'll tell you that you aren't the same person, missing foot or no."

"What do you mean," Hiccup asked, looking over at her.

"Toothless changed you, Hiccup. He opened you up to a different world. A world where you could do incredible things that no one else would think to do. I saw it. I wasn't sure what I was seeing at first but all during dragon training I could see you changing, and I knew it had nothing to do with what you were doing in that ring. They all see that now, too."

He gave her that quirky little flat smile she had come to find so endearing and she leaned in to kiss him. When she pulled away, his smile was a bit happier. From overhead came the sound of a happy warble. The two looked up to see the dark black head and bright green eyes of Toothless staring down at them from the smoke hole in the roof.

"Hey there, bud. Sorry I haven't gotten you out to fly today."

Toothless just sort of snorted and shook his head.

"He could use some rest, too, Hiccup. He wasn't in very good shape either. It was almost a week before he could eat more than a mouthful of fish. You both need, and deserve, all the rest you can get. But it would be good for you to get some sun while it's still out there. Come on, I'll help you," she said.

Between the crutch and Astrid Hiccup made it outside and they were soon joined by Toothless who was happy to see his friend but was careful to just rub his nose against Hiccup's face. Hiccup reached past the neck frill to scratch the back of the dragon's neck. Toothless stretched his neck and leaned into Hiccup's hand while he warbled happily. The young couple sat side by side on the bench beside the door and Toothless lay down in front of them.

A number of passers-by looked up and waved as they walked by. The two waved back. Hiccup looked out over the village, at least what could be seen from where they sat and he noticed that all the damage from the last raid had been repaired and it looked like shelter from the worst of the winter wouldn't be an issue. He'd meant to ask his father about the food situation, but he'd forgotten. He also wondered if the presence of the dragons in the village would add to the problem or they would be self sufficient. One problem solved but many more to consider, he thought.

He tilted his head back and let the weakening sun warm his face. The feel of Astrid's hand warmed his heart. After a few moments he tilted his head to the side and opened his eyes. He saw Astrid looking at him, a small smile on her face.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing really, you just looked so relaxed there for a few moments. It made me glad to see that."

He looked at her again, really looked at her. The blond hair pulled back in a braid and the headband she always wore, the bright blue eyes regarding him so intently. As he looked at her he was struck by a sudden realization. This girl, the girl he had dreamed and fantasized about for as long as he could remember really cared for him. Truly cared about him. The result was his thin frame was wracked by several shudders followed by a bout of shivers. Astrid's eyes spread wide in alarm.

"Hiccup, are you okay? Are you getting feverish again?" she asked, placing her hand on his forehead.

"I'm fine, Astrid. In fact, I don't think I've ever felt better," he said, his face brightening.

"Then why the shaking?"

"I guess I was just getting a chill or something. I should have put on a coat," he replied.

"Hang on a bit," Astrid said, and then she dashed into the house and quickly returned with a short fur jacket. "Here, put this on."

Hiccup wasn't really all that chilly but he appreciated the gesture and it did feel more comfortable with it on. Astrid sat back down and took hold of his hand again and said,

"So, are you going to tell me the rest of it or not?"

"The rest of what?" he asked.

"About your dad, that's what."

"Oh, that," he replied, looking out toward the sea. "He told me it was suggested he should pay a little more attention to what I have to say. Can you imagine how humiliating that must have been for him?"

"I can imagine it must have been difficult, but I don't know that it had to be all that bad."

"C'mon, Astrid. The chief of the whole tribe told he messed up so bad that he should listen to his scrawny undersized kid to keep him from making any more mistakes. I'd have to think it didn't go down so well."

When he didn't get a response, he looked over at Astrid and saw her glaring back at him in much the same way that she did when he had been selected as first in their dragon training class. She stood up, turned to face him and pointed a finger in his face.

"Now you listen to me. You may not have the size that Snout or Legs do, but inside you have a bigger heart than any Viking I've ever seen, maybe ever. And a brain to match. But you better start using them both, Hiccup, if you want to be a real Viking. Accept the responsibility that goes with being a Viking and the biggest part of that is looking out for the tribe. So, grow up, Hiccup, and stop the whining and feeling sorry for yourself. It makes you a lot less lovable."

Hiccup looked up at the blonde fireball that was standing inches from him as best he could with that finger wavering in front of his face. His first reaction was shock, his second was anger and the last was amazement at how beautiful she was when she was glaring at him like that. He quickly suppressed that idea for the moment. He maintained eye contact with her and said,

"Wow, ouch," he began. "But I guess you're right, but it's a big adjustment to make, you know. Village idiot to village hero. I'm just trying to figure it out," he said.

Astrid laughed a bit.

"You were never the village idiot. Clown, maybe, but not an idiot. And don't worry," she added as she sat down next to him again. "We'll help you through it. But you have to be the one to start it, ok?"

"Ok."

They sat there for a few moments longer and then he looked over at her and said,

"You know, I'm going to have to find things to do or say every once and a while to get you really angry like that."

"Why would you want to do that?" she asked in surprise.

"Because you are really beautiful when you're mad," he said evenly.

This got him a poke in the ribs, then a hug and kiss. By mid afternoon, the rest of the crew had returned and they sat around the front door talking more about the idea of venturing to the volcanic island and exploring the now, hopefully, empty lair.

"I'm just wondering if it wouldn't be a good idea to take a quick flight out there before winter sets in to just look around from the air. I know the cloud cover makes it difficult but it might be worthwhile in helping with the planning," Hiccup said.

"Yeah, and it would give us something to do," Tuff said.

"Are you up to that kind of flight, Hiccup?" Astrid asked.

"I think so. We'll take it easy, nothing fancy, right, bud?" Hiccup directed the last to Toothless.

In the fading sunlight, the dragon's green eyes glowed in anticipation.


	3. Chapter 3

Forever After, Chapter 3

Hiccup sat across the table from his father as they ate breakfast together. Both were in the process of coming to grips with their new relationship. Wisely, Hiccup had not assumed that the comment his father had made about the need for the elder to listen more to the younger was a warrant to stick his nose into all manner of tribal affairs. But he was curious about one thing in particular so he risked asking.

"So, Dad, how is the food situation looking?"

"Not as bad as we had feared, son. We'll be relyin' more on seafood this time 'round, though. But with those of us flyin' dragons helpin' spot schools and with what you found to the north, there should be enough."

"That's good to hear. Oh, me and the others are going to take the dragons for some flying today. Toothless is getting restless."

"Ye're sure ye're fit enough for that, son? You didn't look so good after flyin' so far north the other day," Stoick said, eyeing the boy.

"I know, I overdid it. Today will just be some easy stuff. No stunts or anything," Hiccup replied.

"Alright. I can rely on Astrid to keep you in line," his father said with a straight face.

Hiccup looked at him and thought he needed to think about the whole sense of humor thing. After finishing breakfast he washed up and then grabbed his flying harness and a water skin. He walked outside as best he could. He was still getting used to the artificial lower leg. Toothless was waiting for him, obviously eager to be airborne. Hiccup saw that the dragon had already been fitted with his saddle and harness. He looked around and saw the Nadder that Astrid rode sunning himself nearby.

"Astrid?" he called out.

"Over here, Hiccup," she called back from the far side of her dragon.

The blonde girl stood up and smiled at him. Hiccup's morning just got that much better.

"I'm just checking the saddle straps on Spikes."

Following Hiccup's lead, the others had fashioned some sort of gear to help cushion where they sat on their respective dragons. Each creature posed unique challenges due to their different physical characteristics. Astrid didn't have too much difficulty; she just needed long straps to secure hers due to the heavier body and wing position of the Nadder. Snoutlout only required a simple pad that wrapped around the neck of the Nightmare. Likewise for Ruff and Tuff on the necks of Ratntat. They all added restraining straps of some design.

Poor Fishlegs had it the toughest with his Gronckle. The short thick neck, barrel body and wing position made fashioning any kind of saddle very problematic. After much trial and error while Hiccup was recovering, and with suggestions from the others, he settled on a simple set of straps for retention and a pair of padded pants.

Astrid gave a final tug on a strap and hurried over to where Hiccup stood with Toothless. She gave him a hug and a kiss and then stepped back to look at him more closely.

"You look better today, but you still could use more rest. Are you sure this is such a good idea?"

"I'll be fine, Astrid. Don't worry. It will be a nice straight flight. We'll set down for some rest, have a look around and come home. You should know my dad said he was counting on you to keep an eye on me."

Her eyes went a little wide at the last comment but she didn't say anything.

"Do I have you to thank for this?" he asked, gesturing to Toothless, who was nudging at Astrid's hand with his nose.

"Yes, I thought you had enough to deal with. And you," she said to the dragon, "you've had more than enough of my attention this morning. Every time I got something hooked up," she looked back at Hiccup, "he wanted his neck scratched. I'm afraid we're going to spoil them."

"Most likely, but they have an awful lot to offer us in return. And thank you for doing all that, I really appreciate it," he finished with a smile.

She smiled back at him, her cheeks getting a little pink. She did relent a bit and gave Toothless a brief, intense scratching on his neck. The dragon warbled in return.

"Shall we get moving?" Hiccup asked.

"Yup," and with a final kiss Astrid ran over to Spikes and climbed aboard.

Hiccup mounted Toothless and in an instant both were airborne. They flew toward the high wooden causeway where the others were already waiting. As Hiccup and Astrid flew by the dragons launched into the air and soon the loose formation was winging its way out over the sea toward the cloud shrouded volcanic island.

Hiccup was happy to be flying again and he enjoyed the warmth that the weakening sun could provide. He also marveled at the speed at which they covered the distance over the water. What might take days for a Viking boat would take them only hours. In time they saw the white smudge on the horizon that was the seemingly perpetual cloud bank that hovered around the island. Hiccup waved the others closer and shouted,

"We'll set down on the beach where the fight was. The dragons can rest and we'll look around a little bit."

He received shouted and nodded agreements and then they dropped back a bit to avoid accidents in the low visibility approach. Hiccup leaned closer to Toothless' ear and said,

"Lead us in, bud."

He got a warbled response and the Night Fury began a gliding approach, passing over the rocky pillars that surrounded the island, or so it seemed. They broke through the bottom of the clouds to find themselves about a hundred feet above the wide gravel strand where so much had occurred such a short time ago.

As Toothless circled in for a landing, Hiccup could see the burnt, shattered remains of some of the catapults, the hole knocked in the wall of the volcano and the wide, shallow crater where the massive beast had crashed into the ground and exploded. The Night Fury landed smartly and Hiccup patted his neck and said,

"Nice flying, buddy."

He was soon joined by the others. He could hear Ruff and Tuff squabbling about something. He wondered how they put up with each other. He unlocked his left foot from the control pedal and carefully climbed off of Toothless. The others vaulted from their mounts except for Fishlegs who sort of half jumped, half fell off of Gronk.

"So, what do you want to look at while the dragon's rest?" Astrid asked.

"I don't think we want to go into that tunnel, not without torches and stuff. But I thought we could look at where that thing crashed, see if anything is left. Maybe we could split up into two teams and walk along the beach for a while and see what there is," Hiccup replied.

"You'll be ok with all that walking?" she asked, her concern apparent.

"I'm not thinking of going very far. I thought maybe just count out two hundred steps along the water line and then back. I can handle that."

"Yeah," Tuff began. "Plus you can take a slow stroll with Astrid, all lovey dovey."

This got him an elbow in the ribs and a punch in the arm from Ruff, who added,

"Shut up, doofus, this isn't exactly easy ground for him to be walking on."

"Actually," Hiccup interrupted the two. "I thought I'd go with one group and Astrid the other. I'll take Ruff and Tuff. Astrid, would you mind going with Snout and Legs?"

"Oh. Oh, no, that's fine," she said, looking a little disappointed.

"Ok, let's get started. Oh, wait, Astrid could you help me check Toothless' tailfin. It felt a little loose."

"Sure."

As they stepped away from the others, Astrid asked,

"You don't want me coming with you?" her voice sounded hurt.

"Of course I do. But if I'm going to walk on a beach with you I'd prefer it with a little more warmth and a lot more sun. But for right now we need to split up to cover more ground and each group needs someone level headed and marginally under control. That leaves you and me, so for now we need to split up," he explained.

"Oh, yeah, you're right. I hadn't thought of it like that. You are Hiccup the Wise," she said with a smile.

He smiled back and with a wave the two groups split up and began walking along the shore in opposite directions. Hiccup and the twins moved more slowly but at least the gravel gave his wrought iron foot more support than sand would have. They saw bits and pieces of the wrecked boats but little else. No seashells or other things commonly thrown up on beaches.

Around the half way point Ruff and Tuff started up with each other again and Hiccup finally asked a question that had been on his mind for a while now.

"What is it with you two? For as long as I've known you you've been at each other like that. I'd think it would have gotten boring and tiresome by now."

"Whattaya mean?" Tuff asked.

"Don't you get fed up with all the bickering and fighting?"

"No, it's fun," Ruff replied.

"Fun?"

"Yeah," Ruff continued, "we've been playing like this since, well, like, forever."

"You call what you do playing?" Hiccup said, as he stopped to look at some strange rocks on the ground.

"Well, yeah," Tuff answered. "What did you think it was?"

As Hiccup bent down to pick up one of the stones he said,

"I thought you were trying to get on each other's nerves I guess."

"We are," Ruff said, "that's how we've always played."

"Why?" Hiccup asked as he turned the stone over in his hands.

The twins looked at each other and then at Hiccup. Ruff looked uncharacteristically serious for a moment, then said,

"Because we're Vikings, Hiccup, and we're twins. It's like we can't ignore each other, but we can't be like all lovey dovey either. So we're always together and doing stuff but this is how we, like, pay attention to each other."

Hiccup took his attention off the stone in his hand and looked at the twins, who were looking back at him. He thought he understood. As twins, they were as close as two people could expect to be, but they thought that being Vikings they couldn't express that closeness in any way other than belligerent bickering. He said,

"I guess being an only child, I didn't understand. Thanks for explaining it."

"No problem, kid. Any time you need something explained just talk to us," Tuff said.

"Yeah, like you know anything," Ruff responded.

Hiccup could only laugh. They got to the end of the two hundred pace limit and could see that the beach went on, disappearing into the mists. It would have to wait until another time. They turned and headed back. Hiccup picked up several similar stones and slipped them into a pouch he had brought along. When they got back to where they started, the others were already there. Astrid looked relieved as he and the twins walked up. She smiled and said,

"I'm glad to see you made it."

"Yeah, we kept him out of trouble," Tuff said.

Ruff just rolled her eyes and shrugged at her brother's bravado.

"Find anything interesting?" Astrid asked.

"A lot more beach that will need exploring," Hiccup said. "And some interesting stones."

"Cool, we saw only a little more beach past where we stopped and then a wall of rock. Looks like a part of the volcano stretches out into the water," Astrid said.

"Probably an old lava flow," Legs offered.

"Ok, well, why don't we take a look at that crater and then we'll fly over and around the rest of the island?" Hiccup suggested.

The other's nodded and they all walked towards the blasted depression. Astrid moved to Hiccup's side and asked,

"How are you doing?"

"Pretty good. I think I need to work on the padding on this thing, though. I don't think Gobber was too concerned with that," he said with a little laugh.

"He probably thinks the discomfort will help give you a more Viking like attitude," she replied with a smile of her own as she slipped her hand in his.

As they neared the edge of the crash site, the magnitude of the impact struck home. It was shallow only in comparison to its width. The center of the crater was at least twelve to fifteen feet deep. It was hundreds of yards across. Shattered, blackened bones were everywhere. Some were the size of a full grown man, others truly gigantic. There were no signs of a skull but Hiccup figured that with all that weight and speed behind it when it hit, and all of the explosive force it was probably shattered in many small pieces.

"I wonder if any of the teeth are left," Snout said.

"Why?" Ruff asked.

"It would be cool to have one, a trophy, you know?"

"I guess we could spare some time for a look, but not too long," Hiccup said. "Just remember whatever you find has to be small enough for your dragon to carry."

This got some nods and then he added,

"If you don't mind, I'll wait here."

"I'll stay, too," Astrid said.

Hiccup looked at her with his eyebrows raised.

"Get used to it, Mister," was all she said.

They sat down on a relatively flat section of ground. As they watched their friends scramble among the rocks and bones, soft foot falls behind them announced the arrival of the dragons. Toothless lay down besides Hiccup, his head level with his rider. The others arranged themselves so they could watch the four teens range around the crater. Hiccup judged it was past noon by the time they returned.

"Find anything?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah, lotsa stuff, but nothin' worth takin'," Snout said.

"Stuff is either shattered into little bits or it's so big you couldn't move it even with everyone from Berk helping," Tuff added.

"That's too bad. Well, what do you say we mount up and overfly the rest of the island and then head for home?" Hiccup offered.

They all agreed and in short order were mounted and strapped in. Hiccup looked at Astrid and said,

"Ladies first."

She laughed a bit and then urged Spikes skyward and the others followed. They broke through the cloud cover and headed in the direction that Hiccup and the twins had walked. This took them away from the cone of the volcano. There didn't seem to be any lava flowing down the sides that they could see. Hiccup assumed that where he and Astrid had been taken by Toothless the first time was toward the side beyond the rock wall Astrid and the boys had found.

The layer of cloud seemed to thin out the further they got from the volcano proper. It appeared to dissipate towards the center of the island and Hiccup signaled a turn in that direction. As they flew over they saw a bowl shaped depression several miles across. The steep walls were covered in heavy forest while the flat ground was a mix of ponds and bogs and one raised area of meadow that covered an area that was most likely a couple of thousands of acres. There didn't seem to be any break in the bowl that would provide access from the outside by ground.

He thought his father would find all this very interesting. He signaled for them to fly out over the far side from the volcano to see what else was out there. Another few miles from the bowl the clouds were there but thin enough to see the ground. What they saw was more jagged coast but without beaches, just tall cliffs and more irregular stone formations out in the water. They flew along the coast line around the rest of the island and by the time they were passing the volcano from the other side and pointed toward home the sun was dropping close to the horizon. Without prodding the dragons knew they needed to set a slower, soaring pace to conserve their energy. It was well into evening by the time they arrived back at Berk.

There was a welcoming party waiting for them. Stoick stood at the front of a small group that appeared to consist of all the parents involved as well as a few onlookers. None of them looked particularly happy.

"Hiccup, just where in the name of Odin have you been?" Stoick said, not shouting but definitely agitated.

"We were flying, Dad, like I told you this morning."

"I don't believe you mentioned you'd be gone all day."

"Um, yeah, I may have left that out. Actually we went to the volcanic island for a look around," Hiccup said cautiously.

"What? You said weren't plannin' on that until Spring. What were you thinkin'?" Stoick ground out.

"We, well, I thought that if we had a better idea of the layout of the island we could plan better. But we found some things that we need to tell you about," Hiccup said.

"Oh, well, thank you. It's nice to know you'll be willin' to share something with your elders," Stoick said. "Hiccup, son, it hasn't been all that long that you've been out of that bed. What could have been your death bed. You're not ready to go on such adventures. Look at you. You can hardly stand up. Come on, all of you. We'll go to the Hall and we'll eat and talk there."

"Yes, sir," chorused the six teens, who without prompting closed ranks with Hiccup and Astrid offered her arm to help support him. He wasn't so proud as to refuse as he was growing more weary by the moment. As they walked, Stoick spoke to Snout's father, who was one of his lieutenants, who then hurried off. By the time they reached the Hall several other adults were converging on the building. Food was carried in and the six teens were directed to a table.

They took places on the benches and platters were dropped in front of them. Having not eaten since early that morning they all began to dig in. The adults settled themselves at tables nearby and demonstrated great patience while their children finished eating. Stoick finally got up and said,

"Alright. Now that you've had something to eat, suppose you tell us what you've found."

Hiccup was suddenly the center of attention. His five companions remained silent and looked at him. He smiled a bit but he was so tired he had trouble focusing.

"I guess the most important thing is that west of the volcano cone, about in the center of the island is a large bowl, two or three miles across. The sides are steep, maybe a thousand feet or more high. Covered in trees. The floor of the bowl is mostly flat, lots of ponds and bogs but one section, pretty big, looks like grass land. Hundreds of acres," he said in clipped, incomplete sentences. "Don't know about any animals, just flew over. West end of the island is high cliffs, couldn't see any beaches. We had landed at the gravel beach where the fight was," he said with a yawn.

"Found these," he added as he pulled out the rocks he had picked up. "Lotsa bones from the monster dragon, too."

This comment prompted some remarks from the other teens but Hiccup heard little as his eyes closed and he slumped sideways into Astrid. What he missed was the startled exclamation from the girl, his father rushing to check on him and then his comment to the others assuring them that the boy was just asleep.

"Stubborn, foolhardy boy," Stoick said.

"Just like someone else I know," a familiar voice said from the back of the group.

Stoick looked over to lock eyes with Gobber who had come in while the kids were eating. After a moment Stoick just nodded. He gathered up the stones and said,

"I'll take my son home and put him to bed. We'll meet tomorrow to discuss this further."

He eased Hiccup away from Astrid and then effortlessly picked him up and carried him from the Hall. When he arrived home a pair of green eyes set against the night sky greeted him from the roof. Stoick looked up and said,

"Just what have you two gotten us into this time?"


	4. Chapter 4

Forever After, Chapter 4

Hiccup woke up and saw from his view of the ceiling that he was in the big bed in the main room, his father's bed. He had been back in his own bed in the loft the last several days so he was a little unsure of what had happened.

"Oh right, the trip to the island and falling asleep at the table," he thought to himself.

From his view of the night sky he thought he must have napped for a couple of hours. He picked his head up off the pillow and looked around. Sitting on a chair next to the bed was Astrid, her blue eyes fixed on him.

"Well, hello there, sleepy head," she said with a smile.

"Hi, Astrid. Guess I nodded off and took a nap."

"Oh, I think you did a little more than that," Astrid replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you passed out cold at the table and you've been asleep for nearly a full day," she said with a smirk.

"What?"

"Yes. You fell asleep on me, in fact, last night and it's now half way to midnight of the following day. If you weren't lying in bed I'd punch you for scaring me again," she said seriously.

Hiccup took in a deep breath and let it out. He looked up at the ceiling and asked,

"Is my dad pretty mad?"

"He's worried, Hiccup. We've got one problem solved, maybe, but now he has a whole new set to work on. And underlying all of it is you. He's worried that you're going to make yourself sick again or worse. I'm supposed to keep an eye on you until he gets back. So, go take care of whatever you need to then get back in bed."

Hiccup looked at her expression and knew it was much wiser not to argue. He threw back the fur and swung himself to the edge of the bed. Taking hold of the crutch, he hobbled away. What he didn't see was Astrid looking at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears. When he returned she was standing on the other side of the bed, holding a tray of food. His stomach began to rumble loudly. With an embarrassed grin he crawled back onto the bed and pulled the fur back up. Astrid placed the tray over his legs and sat back down. As Hiccup started to dig in, Astrid helped herself to a few morsels from the edge of the tray. About half way through what had been offered Hiccup leaned back and said,

"That feels better. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Have you heard anything about what my Dad and the others have been talking about?" Hiccup asked.

Astrid squinted at him and then said,

"I don't suppose it would hurt to talk about it. Actually, not a lot. We were called in to describe what we all saw again. We heard them talk about things like setting up a colony in that big bowl. Other's suggested just putting a lot of sheep on the grassland and providing some huts and rotating the shepherds in and out. I know some are going to fly there tomorrow to look and see if those bogs might provide peat for burning and anything else they can find out during a quick trip."

"Do they need someone to show them the way?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes, and it won't be you, Mr. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. I'm doing it," Astrid replied severely.

"Oh, ok, I was just asking," he said, his disappointment obvious.

"Hiccup, for Odin's sake. What is it with you? You've caused some amazing things to happen. Let them happen. You've been badly injured and then very sick. What? You're not going to be happy until you kill yourself?"

"Of course not. It's just that I didn't want to miss out on anything. Vikings aren't just fighters, Astrid. We're explorers, too. How do you think we got to Berk? I may not be a great fighting Viking but I could be a great explorer."

Astrid looked at Hiccup, watching the emotions play across his face, from steely determination to wistful longing. She wondered what it must have been like to have grown up as the son of Stoick the Vast. Having grown up such an obvious disappointment, until recently at least. She thought that maybe someday she would ask him, if she could work up the courage to do so.

"Well," she began as she reached forward to take his hand, "I'm afraid that that will have to wait a bit, my great explorer. Your father left strict orders you are not to get out of that bed for a couple of days."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I believe he mentioned something about using ropes, if necessary."

Hiccups eyes got a little wider and Astrid laughed.

"Actually, he didn't," she said, "but I would."

"You know," Hiccup began seriously, "as much as I'm enjoying your new found interest in me, it's not without its hazards."

Astrid's eyebrows shot up and then she started to laugh. Hiccup ate some more and then said he had had enough. Astrid took his tray and put it away, then she came back and sat down next to him on the bed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She held on to him tightly and said,

"Please promise me that you'll take better care of yourself. I'd like to have what's left of you around for a very long time."

"I think I can agree with that. I promise I'll try and take better care of myself," he said.

Astrid turned her head and glared at him.

"Ok, correction. I promise I will take better care of myself."

"Much better," she said and kissed him.

After another squeeze she slipped off the bed and took a game board and box from the big table and brought them back to the bed. She took her place beside Hiccup again and laid the Tafl board across both their legs and began setting up the pieces.

"I didn't know you played," Hiccup said.

"Why so surprised? Winter nights are days long around here, you know."

"I know, it's just that you're so good with the axe throwing and somersault diving and dragon fighting. I thought that was all you ever did," he replied.

"I just might have a few surprises for you, then, Hiccup."

With that she made the first move. As it turned out she was indeed a good player and Hiccup was barely able to eke out a victory. While Astrid was resetting the board for a second game, Hiccup looked around and said,

"Um, where did my, you know, foot go?"

"Oh, I came by last night and took it. After what you said about Gobber not having done much about cushioning, I brought it to a friend of my mom's. She's a weaver and very good with fabric and stuff. She's working on some new cushioning. In fact, she's been by twice today to check the fit."

"You're kidding. I had no idea," he said.

"Not surprising, really. I don't think that volcano at full eruption would be enough to have woken you up earlier. You were dead to the world."

"Hmm, maybe you shouldn't put it quite that way," Hiccup said.

She laughed and said,

"Your move."

They played another game but by the end it was clear Hiccup was getting sleepy. Astrid called a halt and put the game away. Then she pulled him into another embrace and held him for a while until she felt him sag against her. She let go and helped him slide down into a fully reclining position and then pulled the fur up. In a kind of half whisper Hiccup said,

"You said something the other day about me being a lot less lovable when I'm whiney."

"Yes, I did. I might have been a bit too harsh," she replied softly.

"'s ok. Does that mean you think I am loveable?" he asked, his eyes half closed.

"Of course, because as best I can tell, I do love you," she said.

"'s good, because I know I love you," he said, the last few words fading as his eyes closed and his breathing slowed.

She couldn't help but smile and she smoothed his untidy hair. When Stoick returned home a couple of hours later he found the girl curled up in the chair by the bed, fast asleep. He considered his options and decided it would be better if she was in her own home so he gently woke her and walked her home.

When Hiccup awoke the next morning, or so he assumed, since daylight was pouring through the hole in the roof, he was feeling significantly better. He looked around and saw the massive figure of his father seated at the table hunched over as if reading something.

"Good morning, Dad."

"Ah, good mornin' son. How are you feelin'?"

"A lot better, and hungry," Hiccup replied.

"We can remedy that. Go get yourself taken care of and then get back into bed," Stoick said.

"Uh, dad…"

"Uh, nothin', son. I know Astrid told you what I said. You might…might, get to sit outside for a bit this afternoon but for now that's where you are going to stay," Stoick said in a tone that did not invite discussion.

"Yes, sir," Hiccup replied.

Hiccup grabbed the crutch that was beside the bed and levered himself up and he hobbled away, unaware of the pained expression of his father as he watched him. When Hiccup returned and got himself situated in the bed his father carried over a tray and placed it across his lap.

"Thanks, dad."

"You're welcome, son."

"Um, what's that you've been looking at?" Hiccup asked.

"Maps and sea charts. Your discoveries on that island have raised some interestin' questions and possibilities," Stoick replied as he sat down in the chair by the bed.

"Really? Like what?" he asked around a mouthful of food.

"For one thing, if that grassland is anything like you say it is, it could provide us with much needed pasture land for sheep, possibly cattle," Stoick replied.

"It certainly looked big enough."

"Aye, but that's only part of it, son. We have to find out if the ground is firm enough to support livestock and that the grass is edible and that there isn't anything like poisonous snakes living in the grass."

"Oh, yeah, I see what you mean," Hiccup replied thoughtfully as he attacked the rest of his breakfast.

"We also need to look at the ponds and bogs to see if there is anything useful there, or dangerous," Stoick added.

"Like peat and fish, maybe?"

"Yes, that sort of thing. And there's the forested slopes as well. You've presented us with a some interestin' things to consider, Hiccup."

The boy nodded a bit and then asked,

"What about the stones?"

"Ah, now there is somethin' altogether different. Have you ever heard of diamonds?"

"I think so. There kind of clear, shiny, very hard?" Hiccup said.

"Yes, among other things. They also can be very valuable. That's what the little shiny pieces were in the stones you found. They're mostly too small to be of any value but several were big enough that Olaf the metal engraver wished to have them, if you don't mind."

"No, that's fine. Maybe I'll trade him for some work on my iron leg," Hiccup replied with a smirk. "By the way, did they bring it back yet?"

"Not yet, son. And there's a story they'll be telling around the fire in the Hall for years to come," Stoick said with a laugh.

"What do you mean, dad?"

The story that unfolded went something like this. It seems that Helgamell the Weaver, the friend of Astrid's mother that Hiccup had been told about, had taken one look at the prosthetic device and made straight for Gobber's smithy and proceeded to give him a piece of her mind, several in fact. That perhaps it would have been wiser to have spent more time on providing some proper padding and less on the fancy metal work. In addition, the straps were a thing not to even be discussed and she would be taking care of that, thank you very much. As Stoick told the story, obviously enjoying his old friend's predicament, Hiccup tried to picture it in his mind.

As best he could recall Helgamell was no taller than he was, but considerably stouter. Her long blond hair was going to gray and she kept it in two long braids that were wound about her head like a crown. He recalled piercing blue eyes and long narrow fingers. He could picture Gobber riveted by both, enduring the blistering dressing down. Stoick was laughing heartily by the time he was through.

"She sent word early this morning that she was still at it and hoped to have it back to you tomorrow morning," Stoick finished.

"It's really nice of her to go to all that trouble. I'll have to think of something to thank her properly," Hiccup replied thoughtfully.

"You've got it all backward, son. All three of her sons were on that beach that day. You saved her from a lot of grief. She feels the need to be thankin' you," Stoick said seriously.

"Oh."

Hiccup had finished his breakfast by that point and his father removed the tray.

"So, is that it about the diamonds, dad?"

"No, indeed. While the stones you brought back didn't give up all that much of value, they do point at the possibility of something very valuable. We need to be very careful how we go about dealin' with that. Things like right and ownership. How we might use them in trade. Would it tempt someone to try and take it from us," Stoick said.

"Who would do that?" Hiccup asked.

Stoick snorted a bit.

"Fortunately, or unfortunately, being isolated on this island, you haven't been aware of what goes on in the wider world. If it became known that we have something as valuable as diamonds or even large herds of livestock or valuable land, there are all manner of people that would be tempted to come and try to take it. Even other Viking tribes."

"What?"

"Aye, son. The Sagas are full of tales of such battles. You've spent so much time with your devices and dragon fighting stories. I should have pushed you more to read the Sagas. I think now is the time for you to do just that. It's all too apparent that you have a rare mind. You need to know these things. Those histories might help you help us prepare for the future."

"Ok, Dad."

"Oh, and this is for you. There was one rock that gave up a decent sized diamond," Stoick said, taking out a small whitish stone of irregular shape. "It doesn't look like much, but properly cut and polished they can be quite beautiful, I hear."

Hiccup turned it over in his hand and had already come to the conclusion about what to do with it.

"Thanks, Dad. Um, is there anything I can help you with about those maps?" Hiccup asked.

"Hmm, that's a good question, since I'm not really sure with it is I'm lookin' for. Slide over a bit."

Stoick went to the table and gathered up the maps and charts and laid them out on the bed between himself and Hiccup. Father and son spent the rest of the morning and part of the early afternoon looking at both their home island and what little was drawn of the larger volcanic island. Hiccup helped trace out what he remembered of the flight. He also saw where they were in relation to the mainland, many days trip by sea to the east and south. It was the first time in his life that Hiccup did anything where he felt he was on something of equal footing with his father.

They were interrupted at noon by the delivery of a mutton pie for their lunch, this one from Astrid's mother. Stoick smiled as he placed it on the table, seeing his son's embarrassment, but he said nothing. After lunch, Hiccup wrote out some notes to record what he and his father had discussed. As he set the sheets aside his father said,

"I guess it would be a good idea for you to get some sun and fresh air. There is a chill in the air so put a coat on and then you can go sit outside for a bit."

"Thanks, Dad."

Hiccup used his crutch to make his way outside. He barely made it to the bench before the large midnight black form of Toothless dropped down off the roof to greet him. The dragon rubbed Hiccup's face with his nose and then presented his neck for a good scratching. It was nice to have the dragon close by. His sun warmed skin helped ward off the chill. With winter nearly here the sun was low in the sky and was close to setting already. The long uninterrupted night wasn't far away.

"Well, you look like someone's been looking after you," Hiccup said and he dug his fingers into the supple scales just behind the neck fringe.

When the dragon felt like he had had enough he settled himself so that his head was close to Hiccup and he could see down from the front of the house. Hiccup leaned his head back and let what sun there was warm his face. A warble from Toothless alerted him to someone's approach. He opened his eyes and saw a small girl, perhaps nine or ten years old, walking up the path. When she saw that Hiccup was watching her, she stopped.

"Hello," Hiccup said.

"Hello," the girl replied.

"Is there something you wanted?"

The girl's eyes flicked toward Toothless then back to Hiccup. They were wide.

"Would you like to come say hello to Toothless?"

She nodded her head quickly, her hands held tightly in front of her.

"Come on ahead. He won't hurt you," Hiccup said reassuringly.

The girl came further up to him and Toothless was watching her, his eyes wide and round and his ears held high. The girl came to a stop a few paces from the dragon, her eyes even wider and she was trembling a bit.

"What's your name?" Hiccup asked.

"Ingrid," the girl replied.

"That's a nice name. Toothless, this is Ingrid. Ingrid, this is Toothless."

"Hello, Toothless," Ingrid said.

Toothless warbled his reply and then lowered his head, bringing it closer.

"What's he doing?" she asked, a bit concerned.

"He wants you to touch his nose. Just hold your hand out like this," Hiccup said as he showed her. "He'll do the rest."

Ingrid held out her hand and Toothless pushed his nose into it and rumbled in his throat. Ingrid gasped then giggled. After a few moments, Toothless pulled away and turned his head to expose the back of his neck.

"What's he doing now?" she asked.

"He wants you to scratch his neck, like this."

Hiccup leaned over and started scratching the scales again. The look of ecstasy on Toothless' face made Ingrid giggle again. She reached out and began to scratch.

"Ooo, his skin is softer than I thought it would be, and real warm."

"He's been in the sun all day. But yes, some spots are a lot softer than others. Do you like dragons?" Hiccup asked.

"I used to be really scared of 'em. But you showed us we didn't have to be. But the big ones still are kinda scary, but I like Toothless," she said, warming to the task of scratching.

"He is something special, that's true. What about the little ones, the Terrible Terrors? They're small and kind of cute," Hiccup suggested.

"I don't think I'd ever seen one of those."

"I tell you what. When I can walk around better, we'll go look for one. I bet you could make friends with one real easy."

"Oh, wow, could we? That would be really great."

"Sure thing," Hiccup said.

Ingrid then glanced at what remained of Hiccup's left leg. Her eyes got sad and she asked,

"Does it hurt much?"

Her eyes were wide and full of sympathy.

"Not so much right now. It can get sore when I walk on it a lot, but Helgamell is working on some better padding for it," he replied.

"Oh, I know her. She made me a blanket one time."

Hiccup suggested Ingrid sit on the bench next to him so she wouldn't get as tired scratching Toothless, which she didn't see prepared to stop doing. The sun was nearly at the horizon when a strong male voice boomed out.

"Ingrid!"

"Oh, that's my daddy. I better go. Thank you so much," the girl said, sliding off the bench.

"It was our pleasure, Ingrid. You're welcome to come visit whenever you see us out."

"Thank you", she said and before she ran off she gave Hiccup a quick, if clumsy, hug and surprisingly one for Toothless, around his neck.

Hiccup watched her go with a wistful smile on his face and then started when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hello there, mister."

It was Astrid, walking around from the side of the house.

"Hi, Astrid," Hiccup replied with a wide grin. "I didn't expect to see you back so soon."

"We had left pretty early this morning before sunrise. Most of the group was going to stay overnight if the ground turned out to be firm enough which it did."

"So it will make good pasture land?" he asked.

"It sure will," she replied with a tired smile.

"Hey, you look really tired. Do you want to sit down?"

"Yes, thank you," she said as she settled on the bench and then snuggled up next to Hiccup who put his arm around her shoulder and held her tightly.

"Oh, that feels good," she said and then added a kiss.

When they pulled apart she said,

"That was very sweet, what you did for Ingrid."

"You saw that?" he asked.

"Heard it, mostly. She's a really sweet kid."

"I take it you know her pretty well then. She looked familiar but I don't know her much at all," he said.

"Yes, Ingrid Haggason."

"Haggason? All those big bullying Haggasons?" Hiccup asked incredulously.

"Yup, she's the youngest and nothing like her older brothers and sisters."

"Gee, those guys gave me a lot of grief when I was little, even the girls," Hiccup said with a pained expression.

"Not unlike someone else you know?" she asked with a wry expression.

"You never left bruises, Astrid. Well, not until recently," Hiccup replied.

Astrid laughed a bit nervously, but squeezed him tighter and said,

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was struggling with how I was starting to feel about you. Now that I've got that sorted out I don't think I'll be hitting you anymore," he said and then leaned into him for another kiss, one that lasted longer and had more energy.

When they finally pulled apart Hiccup was a little lightheaded. After a deep breath or two, he said,

"Yeah, that's a lot more fun than getting hit."

The sun was rapidly disappearing below the horizon.

"It's getting cold out here. Do you wanna come inside? You can tell my dad that you're back," Hiccup suggested.

"Oh, wow, yeah. That's why I was up here. The others who came back with me will be gathering in the Hall in a bit. I was supposed to tell him, but you distracted me," she said with a grin.

"I think I like the idea of being a distraction."

"You're a lot more than that, but let's go," Astrid said standing up and helping Hiccup to stand.

"Come on, Toothless, you too," Hiccup said.

Astrid held the door open as rider and dragon went inside and then she followed. Hiccup called ahead,

"Hey, Dad, Astrid's back."

"Ah, I was wonderin' when I'd see someone," Stoick boomed from the table.

"Yes, sir. I came back with a few others. The ground was good enough for the rest to stay and set up camp for the night. I was sent here to see if you were home and to tell you they were going to gather in the Hall shortly so they could tell you what they found so far," she said.

"Excellent," Stoick said with a satisfied grin. He gathered up the maps and pulled his fur cloak on.

"Hiccup, there's more than enough of that pie for the two of you. I'm sure Astrid could use some dinner. I'm not sure how late I'll be."

"Ok, Dad. We'll be fine.

With a nod and smile Stoick hurried from the house. Hiccup and Astrid moved to take chairs by the fire. Toothless went and laid down on the other side of the fire pit.

"So was there anything else that you found that you can tell me about" Hiccup asked.

"Well, there certainly is a lot of peat, that's for sure. And some of the fresh water ponds are actually warm. At the west end things get kind of swampy but for the most part there's lots of useable land there. Looks like there's going to be a lot of planning this winter," she said as she held her hands towards the fire.

"Yeah, my dad and I spent most of the day going over those maps and talking about stuff. It was really something."

The tone of his voice caught Astrid's attention and she looked over at him, his eyes lit by the fire but by something else as well. He looked happy, with a sense of satisfaction. Her throat tightened a bit and to cover it she asked,

"Another pie?"

"Yeah, from your mom this time," Hiccup said.

"Really, oh dear"

"Why, what's wrong?" Hiccup asked.

"Oh, nothing is wrong as such," she said as she stood up. "Squish up a bit would you?"

Hiccup was sitting his father's chair which was certainly wide enough for more than Hiccup. He slid to the other side leaving room for Astrid to sit down, with her legs draped over his good one. She put her arms around his shoulders while he put his around her waist. They snuggled up tightly and then Astrid said,

"As to the pie, I'm sure my mother did it to thank you for saving me."

"What? From getting sucked into the monster dragon's mouth?"

"No, well yes, sort of. But really for saving me from becoming something she really didn't like," Astrid said.

"I don't understand."

"Mom wasn't happy about how much I wanted to fight dragons. She thought I was a little too obsessed with it," she said.

"Obsessed? You? Maniacally preoccupied perhaps but not obsessed," Hiccup said.

"Very funny. But now with everything that's happened, she figures her little girl has other things to occupy her time and thoughts. And she figures she has you to thank for it."

"I wonder what could possibly occupy your mind that way," Hiccup asked innocently.

Astrid put her hand along side his face and turned it to face hers. As she leaned forward she said,

"This."

They remained occupied like that for some time.


	5. Chapter 5

Forever After, Chapter 5

All the predictions about the amount of planning that was going to occur during the dark winter night got an early start and would prove to be far more involved than anyone would have thought. As one issue was resolved unexpected details would need to be addressed. For Hiccup, however, his plans would first require the return of his prosthetic lower leg. When he awoke that morning he found it lying at the foot of the bed along with an altered pair of leggings and a straight sock of sorts. He looked around and saw Toothless sleeping by the fire pit. He didn't see his father anywhere. Then he heard some noise in the loft.

"Dad?"

"No," replied a familiar female voice.

"Astrid? When did you get here and what are you doing up there?"

"Yes, it's me. And I got here late yesterday afternoon, remember?" she replied.

"You've been here all night?" Hiccup asked in very real surprise.

"Yes," she said as she walked down the stairs from the loft. "You started to fall asleep so I was able to get you into bed. Your father came home close to midnight. He said he'd need to leave very early in the morning and he asked my mom if it would be okay if I slept in the loft. He wanted someone to be here when you woke up."

"You were sleeping in my loft?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes, I was, sleepy head. And I was just up there doing some cleaning and straightening up. You know, you really are a bit on the sloppy side," Astrid said as she sat down on the side of the bed.

"Well, I wasn't expecting visitors," he replied with a bit of embarrassment.

His thoughts were a bit disorganized with the idea of Astrid sleeping under the same roof and in his own bed. He was trying to clear his head when she said,

"Helgamell dropped by with these," Astrid said as she picked up the sock. "This goes on first, then the leggings over it, and then the leg. She showed me how."

"Um, you're not going to stay here while I put these on are you?" Hiccup asked, mildly alarmed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forget that you're an only child. Growing up with three brothers tends to make you less concerned with some things. Come on, Toothless, let's go outside and get you some breakfast."

At the sound of 'breakfast' the dragon went to full alertness and hurried out from behind the fire pit. Astrid leaned over and gave Hiccup a kiss on the forehead and then stood up and led the Night Fury out of the house. Hiccup shook his head and used the crutch to get out of the bed so he could get himself taken care of for the morning. Then he came back and sat on the edge of the bed and took the sock and pulled it up over his injured leg. The sock was made of the softest, smoothest wool that he had ever seen or felt. He marveled at how it felt, even against the barely healed scar tissue at the end of his lower leg. Next he pulled on the altered leggings. The left leg had been shortened and a tie added so the end could be snugged up. He then picked up the prosthetic leg and looked at what Helgamell had done.

The cup that fit over the end of his leg was now lined with a combination of sheepskin and fleece covered by more of the soft wool. Instead of the narrow straps, there was now a soft leather collar that went above his knee and had buckled straps above and below the knee. He looked at how well it was all done. He was still staring at it when Astrid came back inside.

"So what do you think?" she asked brightly.

Hiccup looked up at her, his face nearly but not quite expressionless.

"What? What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing. It's amazing. The amount of work, the leather…" he tailed off.

By now she was standing next to him and she took the leg from his hands and set it aside. Then she sat down next to him and took his hands in hers.

"Tell me what's wrong," she said.

Hiccup took a deep shuddering breath and let it out.

"I guess it's kind of stupid, but I'm having a hard time handling people doing things for me. Before it was always, 'get out of here' or 'go back inside' or 'stop being you'. Now they're making me pies and fixing my leg. It just takes some getting used to," he said, his voice brittle and cracking.

Astrid let go of his hands and put her arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer. They remained that way for some moments and then Hiccup straightened up and said,

"Well, this isn't getting us anywhere. I think I have it figured out but watch me and make sure, would you?"

"Of course," she replied.

He fit the cup over the end of his leg, feeling immediately how much more comfortable the new padding was. He pulled the leather collar up over his knee and fastened the buckles. He stood up and put weight on it. While it was certainly not as good as the real thing, it was far better than what Gobber had originally done. He took several steps and then turned. He saw Astrid watching him intently.

"Seems to work pretty well," he said.

"I'm glad to hear that because we have a walk to take this morning. Better get your coat," Astrid said.

"Where are we going?"

"The Hall. Your father said to bring you once you woke up."

"What about breakfast?" Hiccup asked.

"Your dad said we could eat there."

"Ok, I'm glad it's not that far," he said as he picked up his coat and put it on.

Astrid put on hers and the two of them walked out the door. Toothless was waiting for them and he managed to get a double handful of neck scratches. He then fell in besides Hiccup and together the three walked towards the Hall in the mid-morning predawn. It was definitely getting colder and Astrid took hold of Hiccup's arm and pushed closer. It took a little while but they finally arrived at the huge doors to the Hall. Hiccup was paying attention to how he was walking so he missed something that Astrid had noticed. There were very few people outside. It was still weeks away from the snows that choked the streets and forced nearly everyone indoors. She leaned on the door and pushed. Light spilled out into the predawn darkness. Hiccup blinked as he and Astrid walked in.

A loud rhythmic banging began. Every table was filled with villagers and they were all banging on the table with the butt end of throwing axes or knives. Stoick was standing at the front of the Hall and he gestured for them to join him. Astrid released her hold on Hiccup's arm.

"Go ahead," Astrid said. "Go."

"But…" Hiccup began to object.

"Just go," she hissed.

With a mental shrug Hiccup walked towards his father and the sound of the hammering got louder. He came to a stop a little less than arms length from Stoick, who then reached out and put his arm around his son's shoulder and pulled him closer. With his free hand he signaled for quiet. The pounding tapered off and Stoick began to speak.

"Some weeks ago I stood in front of you all and told you that on that day, my son, Hiccup, much to my surprise, was about to become one of us, a true Viking. As you all know, it didn't turn out quite like we thought it would but in the end he did just that. With courage, skill, and leadership he took a small band of inexperienced teens and destroyed a monster many times larger than anything anyone had ever seen. And in the process, saved most of us here from my mistake," Stoick said with a grimace. "Astrid, the rest of you, please come up here."

Astrid walked over and stood next to Hiccup, one hand taking hold of his arm. The other four teens came up and stood to either side of Stoick.

"There was plenty of dragon to go around that day and no one can argue your role in its destruction. It has been discussed and decided that all six of you have fulfilled your obligations and will be considered from this day forward, true Vikings."

With this pronouncement the hammering began again, only louder. The twins and the two boys were pumping their fists into the air and slapping each other on their backs. Astrid was smiling but she could feel the shudder run through Hiccup. She looked at him and saw the smile on his face but she knew he wore it more like a shield than an expression of joy or satisfaction. Then the three boys came to include Hiccup and Astrid in their celebration. They at least had the presence of mind to go easy on the back slapping, possibly in consideration of Hiccup's injury, but more likely the result of the look they were getting from Astrid.

Ruffnut was hanging back with an odd look on her face. When the boys finally got out of the way, she stepped forward but seemed to hesitate to do or say anything. Her mouth twitched and her eyes shifted back and forth from Hiccup to Astrid and back. Finally, she gave a brief shrug and stepped forward to put her arms around Hiccups neck and shoulders and held him tightly. Recovering from his initial shock Hiccup hugged her back. After a few moments she released her hold on him and stepped back with a wistful smile. She then gave Astrid a brief embrace and appeared to whisper something to her. Hiccup was watching and thought he saw Astrid stiffen but it passed so quickly he wasn't sure if he hadn't just imagined it. Ruffnut let go of Astrid and stepped back and then moved to the other side of Stoick.

"Alright, then," Stoick said. "I think it's time we all had something to eat."

This got a shout of approval from those assembled. Stoick directed his son and Astrid to a table where Astrid's family was sitting. While Hiccup was familiar with the Hofferson family as a whole, as he was with pretty much all the villagers, this was the first time he would be really meeting them. Mrs. Hofferson was the first to greet him.

"Good morning, Hiccup. It's good to see you up and about. I trust Helgamell's handiwork has been helpful?"

"Yes, ma'am. She made it much more comfortable to walk. Oh and thank you very much for the pie the other day, it was very good," Hiccup offered.

"Oh, it was the least I could do. Would you like to sit down?" she asked.

"Hiccup," Stoick began. "I need to be moving about. The Hofferson's have been kind enough to make space for you."

Hiccup looked at Astrid's father and the two of her three brothers that were sitting there. They all nodded to one degree or another. Astrid took hold of Hiccup's arm and led him to the two vacant spots at the table. He let her sit first and then slid into the last spot on the bench. This put him directly across from Astrid's father. Food was doled out and as he ate, Hiccup was aware that he was under intense scrutiny from Mr. Hofferson. He concentrated on his breakfast but as he finished his second helping he looked up at Astrid's father, his expression hopefully inviting the man to ask his question. Mr. Hofferson took a last drink from his mug and then said,

"So, Hiccup. If you don't mind my askin', just when did you decide that after nearly three hundred years we were all wrong about dragons?"

Hiccup couldn't tell if it was a simple straight forward question or the man was implying something about him. He decided to answer it as a question.

"Well, sir, I guess I'd have to say it began when I found Toothless all tangled up in those ropes I threw at him. Believe me, I had every intention of killing him so I could prove to everyone I was a real Viking. But when I saw the look in his eyes, and how frightened he was I couldn't do it, so I cut him loose. He returned the favor by jumping me and pinning me to the ground."

This revelation got a gasp from Astrid but he ignored it.

"But that's all he did, well, he did scream at me but then he took off without hurting me at all. Then at our first dragon training session Gobber said that dragons always go for the kill, but Toothless hadn't. That started me thinking that maybe we didn't know them so well."

Astrid's father nodded a bit and then one of her brothers said,

"I suppose that's when the Night Fury lost part of his tail fin, when he crashed all tangled up in those ropes?"

"Yes," Hiccup said with a grimace, "which makes what happened to me a certain kind of justice I guess."

"Oh, I don't know, boy. You lost that part of your leg because of an act of cunning and bravery. Those things happen. Don't know that you need to bring the idea of justice into it," the older man said.

As if he had said what he needed to say and heard what he needed to hear, Mr. Hofferson sat back and took another drink from his mug. Before anyone at the table could offer another comment, a voice from behind Hiccup said,

"Well, young fellow, how's that new padding working for you?"

Hiccup turned to find the short, stout figure of Helgamell standing there. Her pale blue eyes fixed on him as she waited for an answer.

"It's working very well, thank you."

"Well, up you get. Let's have a look."

Hiccup slipped off the bench and stood up where the weaver could see him. She gave him a thorough going over to include telling him to turn around. Hiccup was acutely aware of the others around him watching with some amusement.

"Much, much better," the older woman said. "I saw you walking in and you looked much more comfortable."

"Yes, ma'am. And if you don't mind my asking, who did the leatherwork?"

"Ah, yes, that. My youngest took care of the part. He makes boots and other gear when not out fighting dragons. I reckon he'll be doing a lot more boots and such from now on."

"Yes, ma'am. Please tell him how much I appreciate his work. And I really don't know how to thank you," Hiccup said, the last quietly.

"No need, young fellow. One good deed deserves another," Helgamell said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Maybe, but I can at least do this," Hiccup said as he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the short, older woman.

She was surprised but recovered quickly and gave Hiccup what could best be described as a motherly embrace. Astrid's mother leaned across the table a bit and said to her husband in a tone of voice that was low but still carried to Hiccups ear,

"It must have been so difficult growing up with no mother, the poor lad."

"All the more for having Stoick as a father. Still, he seems to have managed fairly well," the father replied.

"I wonder," Astrid's mother said.

Hiccup gave no indication that he had heard the exchange. Neither did Astrid, who had been watching Hiccup and Helgamell. When they had separated the weaver wished him good fortune and moved away. Hiccup regained his seat and Astrid took hold of his hand and gave it a squeeze. He smiled back at her. A short while later Stoick strode up to the table and said,

"A few of us would like to talk to you for a bit."

"Sure, Dad," Hiccup said and then turned to the others. "Excuse me, and thank you for inviting me to your table."

"No need for thanks, Hiccup. It was our pleasure," Mr. Hofferson said.

His sons nodded and his wife reached over and gave Hiccup a squeeze on his arm. She said,

"We'll be leaving now, Hiccup. But Astrid will wait for you. It was good to get the chance to know you a little better. I hope we see you again, soon."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Hiccup got up and followed his father to where several men he recognized as his father's advisors were seated. Stoick pointed to an empty spot on one of the benches and he took his seat at the head of the table.

"Son, we were able to talk to all the others about what you had seen at the volcanic island. You were the only one who noticed those rocks. What can you tell us about them?" Stoick asked.

"Well, they seemed to be all over the beach. They were different than most of the gravel. You know, bigger, sharper edged. Pretty easy to spot," he said.

A number of questions followed. Hiccup was smart enough to realize where the questions were leading. There were things of value on that island and they were trying to figure out how to deal with it. When they had asked what they could Stoick suggested Hiccup start for home. He stood up from the table and as he began to walk away he noticed the aged metal engraver, Olaf, sitting near the fire pit. He walked over and said,

"Excuse me, sir, do you have a moment?"

"Ah, young Hiccup. I'm happy you stopped by. I wanted to thank you for those stones. They'll greatly aid my efforts. I understand you were interested in bartering my services for them?"

"Yes, sir. It was originally thinking of doing something on my leg, you know, the metal work, but I have another idea," Hiccup said.

He sat down next to the older man and began a quiet conversation. Once or twice the aged Viking craftsman looked over to where Astrid was sitting. Hiccup pulled something from his pocket and they talked some more. With a handshake Hiccup stood up and walked over to join Astrid.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm doing pretty good. I think I've finally gotten enough sleep and the leg is a lot better with this new padding and such. I might even be getting back to Gobber's."

"Are you sure you're ready for that?" she asked.

"I have to sooner or later, and I figure sooner would be better."

"Please promise me that you won't rush things," she said, evidently very concerned.

Hiccup smiled back at her and said, "Who? Me?" 


	6. Chapter 6

Forever After, Chapter 6

In the days that followed the brief impromptu ceremony in the Hall, the hours of daily sunlight quickly diminished and the three month long night began. Snow had also begun to fall. And while it wasn't the lane choking snows of mid-winter, it did give Hiccup some issues since the bottom of his iron foot was somewhat small and it tended to punch through all but the most packed down snow. He was definitely going to have to make a tweak there.

As he had discussed with Astrid, Hiccup had returned to the smithy, both to resume his chores as Gobber's apprentice but also to begin work on a special project. It involved his secret cache of metal scraps. Since he was old enough to walk about outdoors, Hiccup had developed a habit of picking up any bit of metal he might come across. Often it was the result of something being knocked off a weapon or gear during a fight with a dragon or something more personal. Other times it was something lost. He had several small bags; one contained steel bits, another one iron, and a last one copper. It was the copper he was interested in now.

Gobber was surprised when Hiccup asked him to show him how to make a mold for casting molten metal but he was glad to see the boy interested in another aspect of the metal working arts. Hiccup had to be careful to pace himself, not so much because he was still feeling weak, which he wasn't, but because it seemed everyone was keeping an eye on him. While he appreciated the concern, he wasn't sure that it was much better than being chased away anytime he showed up somewhere.

And metal was not just a concern to Hiccup. Despite the seemingly ever present weapons and armor, metal was still a valuable commodity in the village and a big effort was launched to recover what they could from the shattered boats that littered the gravel beach on the volcanic island. A contingent of flying Vikings took their dragons to the beach to salvage what they could.

Those that flew Gronckles would take a long rope with a grappling hook out over the tiny inlet and drop the hook into the water where a hull had sunk. Once secure the end of the rope would be grabbed by Viking and dragon alike where they pulled until the wreck was beached and the salvaging could begin. A ship had been sent out and the Gronckles would ferry the metal booty out past the perpetual fog and dump it onto the waiting ship. Within a week, they had been able to recover nearly all that had been lost. Gobber, Hiccup and a few extra men who had little to do during the long winter night spent many hours cleaning and repairing the fittings for use on new boats to be built.

For relaxation Hiccup spent a lot of time in the Hall playing Tafl with Astrid and Fishlegs. The oversized Viking teen had always been Hiccup's friend. The only one he had had up until the 'great change' as he jokingly referred to his new situation. Despite his size and appearance, Fishlegs was an intelligent boy and he had found a kindred spirit in Hiccup. So it often was the three would be sitting together at a table playing the board game in shifting pairings. Snout and Tuff would drift in and around the table, neither one having much interest in games of skill. Ruff would watch occasionally but she spent a fair amount of time by herself, but always with in hearing distance of the games.

Hiccup was aware of Ruff's detachment and thought it odd, although he didn't have a lot of history to go by since in the past he hadn't spent much leisure time with any of them except Legs. He also noticed a series of whispered conversations between Astrid and Ruff when the two boys were playing a round of the game. Another leisure activity Hiccup was able to fit in was midday flights on Toothless, with Astrid, under a cold starry sky. Bundled up in extra cloaks, hats and gloves, Toothless would take them on smooth, gliding rides around the island, just so they could be alone and unobserved together. All in all, Hiccup was happier than at any time in his life.

One evening, after several games and some small talk with the other boys, Hiccup was walking home with Astrid, both bundled up against the cold. Astrid had been having another conversation with Ruff and Hiccup's curiosity and concern finally pushed him to ask,

"Astrid, if you don't mind my asking, what have you and Ruff been talking about so much? She doesn't seem like herself anymore."

"I'm afraid she isn't, Hiccup. And it's all kind of complicated," Astrid replied a bit evasively.

"Oh, so it's not something you can tell me?"

"I'm not sure I should. I think Ruff would be pretty embarrassed," Astrid replied.

"Oh, ok, well then, if it's none of my business, but if I can help, let me know," Hiccup said earnestly.

Having finally found friends, Hiccup was genuinely interested in them and their well being.

"Oh, Hiccup, you're making this so difficult," Astrid said as they walked along arm in arm.

"What? What did I say? Ruff is a friend and I'm concerned about her."

"I understand that, sweetheart. It would be easier if you didn't notice and didn't care," Astrid said as she signed heavily. "Ok, I'll tell you but don't you dare utter a word of this to anyone else, do you understand me?"

"Sure."

"The problem is, Ruffnut is in love with you," Astrid said quietly.

She felt Hiccup miss a step and almost go down in the snow but she tightened her grip and held him up until he regained his balance.

"What was that?" he managed to choke out.

"I think you heard me just fine," she replied.

"But how? Why?"

"What do you mean, how and why? How did I fall in love with you and why? She saw all the same things I did and I think she figured it out quicker. I was too busy being angry and jealous at all the attention you were getting and how you were handling the dragons," Astrid said.

Hiccup thought back to those occasions when he did something and the attention he got from the other teens. Ruff would be much more likely to smile at him then the others and she did make that comment about how she thought he was crazy and how much she liked it. And it certainly explained the hug after they were proclaimed true Vikings. He groaned.

"Oh, gods, now what?"

"I don't know. She made it very clear that she wasn't going to cause us any trouble," Astrid said.

"Yeah, but it's going to make things very awkward when we are all together and it seems so unfair to her. She seems so unhappy."

Astrid looked over at Hiccup as they walked slowly along and saw the look of genuine dismay on his face. She shook her head.

"You're amazing, you know that? You get this kind of a shock and the first thing you worry about is someone else. But to answer your question, I don't know. The only thing I do know is that I have no intention of sharing you," she said as she tightened her grip on his arm.

They walked on in silence, Hiccup lost in thought, very confused and conflicted thoughts. As the sunless days marched on to the Yule celebration, Hiccup's efforts in the smithy were paying off. His work with the clay molds that Gobber had taught him had paid off and he was now dealing with Olaf the engraver on the arrangement they had made in exchange for the three small rough diamonds that had come from the stones he had found. A conversation about the Yule celebration came up at the table where they were playing Tafl one evening.

"So, Mr. Haddock, should I be expecting any surprises this Yule?" she said with a grin and a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I suppose there might be something for you, but I hope you aren't expecting me to spoil any surprises, are you?" Hiccup replied.

"No, not at all, I was just checking, is all."

Hiccup smiled a bit and then looked up over Astrid's shoulder. As they had been nearly every night, Stoick and his advisors and some of the other members of the village were huddled at a table, deep in conversation. Since there was never any laughter or loud boasting it was obvious that it was a serious conversation, most likely concerning the plans for the volcanic island. Hiccup had asked what he hoped were a few subtle probing questions but he got nothing more than a few brief non committal answers.

When he looked back down at Astrid she was looking back at him with a questioning glance so he said,

"What?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you. What?" she asked.

"They've been talking for days and days and days. I can't get anything out of my father. I'd like to know what they've been thinking," Hiccup said, a bit exasperated.

"Be patient, Hiccup. I'm sure you'll find out about it soon enough. And I imagine you'll have plenty of opportunity to go exploring."

"I hope so. You know they said they found signs of some sort of grazing animal along the edges of that big pastureland. They thought it lived on those steep forested hills and came out to graze at night. Maybe a kind of deer or mountain goat. I wonder if there might be some sort of predator, too. Who knows, maybe even some trolls," he said excitedly.

"Oh, Hiccup, sweetheart, please. Trolls? Do you really believe in trolls?" Astrid asked.

"Of course I do. Look, they may be a legend, but every legend starts somewhere, with something real. It may grow and get distorted but there has to be something to it," he said defensively.

Astrid reached across the table and took hold of his hand.

"Hiccup, do you remember that old man that used to live near the upper edge of the village. He was twice as wide as he was tall, all bent over because of his back problems and various injuries. If someone who didn't know him saw him walking in the woods some evening, they'd think they saw a troll. That's the 'something' at the center of your legend."

Hiccup gave her a look and shook his head, implying she was missing the point entirely. But the mention of the island provoked another thought.

"You know, I'm wondering where that big bowl came from and all that grass and trees and stuff. The rest of that island is pretty barren," he said.

"Well, I'm betting it's what's left of an old volcano," Legs began. "One that was much bigger than what's there now. Probably a long, long time ago that old volcano exploded in a huge eruption, lots of it being throw out to sea and the rest falling in and filling up the crater. Those walls are what's left of the mountain and the floor is all that stuff that fell in. Then the rain would pour in with no place to go so it formed those ponds and bogs and stuff. And the trees and grass and stuff grew from seeds blown on the wind or dropped by birds or dragons. I don't know about the animals though. Maybe they swam there or something."

When he finished Legs saw everyone looking at him in amazement including some of the adults at tables around them. His face went red and he shrugged his massive shoulders and said,

"Or maybe it's just the way Odin made it."

"I dunno, Legs, you might be on to something there. Maybe we'll get a chance to look for ourselves come the Spring," Hiccup said.

This got a little smile and nod from Fishlegs. Things got a bit more serious for Hiccup a few evenings later. It was only several days until Yule and Astrid was at home helping her mom get ready. Fishlegs hadn't arrived at the Hall yet and when Hiccup got there he saw Tuffnut and Snoutlout arguing about something and Ruff was sitting by herself over to the side of the Hall. Taking a deep breath Hiccup walked over and she was so lost in her own thoughts that he was nearly at the table before she noticed him approaching.

She glanced up at him but then looked away, her expression evasive. He could see she was anxious. He smiled a bit and said,

"Is it alright if I sit down?"

"Like, sure," she replied quietly.

"Um, Ruff. I think you and I need to have a talk."

"What about? It's not like a know anything about anything," she said.

"Oh, I don't know. I'd think you know more about putting up with annoying knucklehead brothers than anyone else in the world."

This got a bit of a laugh and then she looked at him with a squint.

"I know, no one gets to make fun of your brother but you, right?" Hiccup said.

"That's right."

"Ok, but the reason I wanted to talk to you is that I've noticed you've been looking pretty unhappy lately. I'm worried about you," he said.

"You're like, worried about me?" she asked.

"Sure, you're my friend. I'm concerned about my friends. It's not like I've had so many, so I want to keep the ones I've found and I want them to be happy."

She looked away from him and said,

"I don't think you can help with that."

"Because it has to do with what you told Astrid? About me?"

Her head whipped around so fast he almost got hit with one of her braids. Her eyes were wide and panicky.

"What did she tell you?"

"She told me how you feel about me," he said quietly.

Ruff looked like she was ready to bolt. Hiccup placed a hand on her arm and said,

"Please don't go, Ruff. I think we need to get this straightened out."

Her eyes were flicking from side to side but they wouldn't meet his. Hiccup said,

"First of all I wanted to say that I'm really very flattered to find out that someone as special as you could feel that way about me."

"Whattaya mean, flattered?" she asked, looking at him directly now.

"Well, come on, Ruff. Look at you. You're very pretty, you're a terrific dragon flyer, you showed a lot of courage fighting that monster dragon. Any guy in this village would be lucky to attract your interest."

Ruff smiled a bit and her cheeks blushed.

"I know it's not working out the way you might have wanted it to, but I'd hate it if you felt like you had to stay away. Believe it or not, I'm starting to miss hearing you giving Tuff a hard time. It felt good when you stuck up for me those times. I really need you as my friend, Ruff."

The blonde girl looked at Hiccup, her face shifting from expression to expression. She settled on a sad, half smile and nodded. Hiccup smiled back then said,

"Do you mind if I ask you what you said to Astrid after you hugged me?"

Ruffnut sighed a bit and said,

"I told her she was a very lucky girl and that, like, she should never neglect you."

Now it was Hiccup's turn to blush. This caused Ruff to smile more widely and then she looked around them seeing that the two boys were still arguing about something, oblivious to anyone around them and then she looked back at Hiccup and said,

"I have to do this, like, at least once."

Then she leaned forward and gave Hiccup a short kiss on the lips. When she pulled back she saw his startled expression and said,

"That has to last me a long time."

She stood up and with a last little grin she walked away. As she passed her brother she slapped him on the back of the head and said,

"I'm going home."

Hiccup watched her walk out of the Hall. He was still sitting there a bit later when Fishlegs walked in carrying the Tafl board and box of pieces. As the big teen walked towards him an idea began to take shape. He'd have to share it with Astrid.

"You what?" Astrid nearly shouted at him when they were standing next to Toothless the following day.

They were going to take a last midday flight before they got ready for the following day's Yule celebration. Astrid had been asking what he had done the evening before and he told her, all of it. She was looking at him wide eyed with shock.

"I told her I knew what you two had been talking about and how we needed to work it out," he said.

"Oh, Hiccup, how could you? She'll never talk to me again."

"No, I don't think it will be like that. She was a little shook up at first but I think we came to an understanding. I told her I really needed her as a friend and she seemed to accept that. I will tell you though, she kissed me once."

"She what?" this time she did shout and Toothless warbled at the sound. "Sorry, Toothless, but your best friend here seems to want to upset me today."

"I do not and you know it. I just want you to know everything that happened. I told you I wouldn't lie to you and not telling you that would be just like lying. She just said she needed to do it the one time. It was very short and when it was over she said something about it having to last her a long time. It was kind of sad."

"Oh, the poor kid. I wish we could do something for her."

"I have an idea but it will have to wait until after Yule but here's the basics."

He then explained his idea to Astrid, who's eyes started to go wide again. When he finished, she looked at him and said,

"Do you really think so?"

"It's worth a try. She needs a lot of kindness and consideration right now and I don't think the alternatives will help there," he said seriously.

"I guess it's worth a try," Astrid said looking at him then slipping her arms around his neck. "You really are something, you know that? Ruff was right about one thing, I really am a lucky girl."

With that she pulled him closer and gave him a kiss that was much longer and deeper than Ruff's. Toothless warbled an entirely different tune.

The Yule celebration was a highlight of the year in Berk, perhaps the highlight, although the first day the sun reappeared was a big day, too. It had been snowing with some regularity and the trip to the Hall for the celebration was proving a difficult one for Hiccup. His father had offered to hoist him on his shoulders but he would have none of that. He was trying out a new device that was something like a small snow shoe. It was keeping him from breaking the surface but it hampered his gait and slowed him down more.

Toothless could have made the trip much easier for him but they left him happily sleeping by the fire. Most of the other dragons that had taken to hanging around the village had departed once the snow really began to fall. Everyone assumed they were back in the warm cave in the side of the volcano. Those that did remain, that had taken to being ridden were in places like the stalls in the old fighting ring and some caves that were here and there on the island. A few riders were trying to figure out a way to enclose the roof of the fighting ring that would survive the snowpack that would accumulate.

As Hiccup and Stoick walked along others joined them in the short walk to the Hall. The Hoffersons were among them. Astrid immediately took her place next to Hiccup, hooking her arm in his. She had a small package under the other arm. Hiccup looked at her questioningly.

"Patience, my love," she chided gently.

Hiccup had to smile. Astrid did not use endearments often but when she did it gave him a little chill up his spine. Stoick exchanged greetings with Astrid's family and Hiccup added a few of his own. When they arrived at the Hall it was brightly lit, inside and out, and a great deal of evergreen had been brought from the forest for decorations. Hiccup had always liked the sights and smells of the holiday but this one was going to be very special.

More and more villagers filed into the Hall. The smell of roasting meats and other foods filled the space along with the dull roar of many Vikings talking and laughing. A number of greetings were called out as Hiccup and his father entered. Stoick looked down at his son and said,

"I have to take my place up front, Hiccup. You'll be sittin' with the Hoffersons, if you don't mind."

"Oh, no, that'll be fine, Dad. Are you going to have to be up there all night?"

"Don't worry, son. I'll be down after a while," Stoick said with a tight smile.

Hiccup knew that Yule was a difficult time for his father. What little he could get out of the man was that Hiccup's mother loved the festival and made a big fuss about it for weeks before hand. Now it was a reminder that she was gone. He had plans for his Dad this year as well.

With Hiccup in tow, the Hoffersons found their table and got themselves settled. Mr. Hofferson was looking at him but his expression seemed more open and accepting of the boy. Astrid's mother smiled at him broadly. Hiccup wondered if the two were connected. Astrid leaned in and said,

"Happy Yule, Hiccup," and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

"The happiest of my life," he replied smiling back at her.

She began to blink a bit as her eyes started to fill but that was interrupted by Stoick's bellowing voice calling them to order. When the Hall had quieted down he began to speak.

"A happy Yule to you all. It seems we have some new reasons to be happy this season. An old danger gone, perhaps, and what appears to be new opportunities for the future. And we have a group of extraordinary young people to thank for this. As such, in keepin' with the spirit of the season I would like to call them up hear and present them with somethin' special. Please come up, would you?"

With that the six teens trooped up to the front of the Hall from their various places. When Ruff came even with Hiccup and Astrid she gave them both a shy little smile. They smiled back more warmly. As they joined Stoick, Hiccup noticed a cloth cover something on the table where his father and the village elders were.

"We owe these youngsters a great deal. For many of us, we owe them our lives. What I have for them is more of a token of appreciation for we have nothin' of comparable value for what they've done."

With that Stoick reached under the cloth and brought out a small single bitted throwing axe. The metal work was blackened iron with a strip of steel hammer welded in place for the cutting edge. The handle was a single wrap of leather stitched into place. He held it up for all to see.

"The iron for these axes, for each of you will receive one, comes from an iron star that fell to this island over two hundred years ago. It broke into many fragments that were gathered and hoarded for special uses. It was the duty of the tribal chief to decide when to use them. These axes represent most of what remained. I can't think of a better use for them to be put to."

He then handed the first axe to Snout and then went down the line to the others, until he got to Hiccup.

"The last one is a bit different. For while all those standing here did their part, one did far more. Hiccup, against every obstacle set before him, came to our rescue and while the rest of us stood by and watched, performed perhaps the single most incredible act of bravery and cunning any Viking has ever witnessed. He displayed true courage and leadership and as such, deserves a more singular reward."

Stoick reached under the cloth and brought out the final axe. It was the same blackened iron and steel. However, the head had been engraved with the image of a Night Fury on the wing. To the leather on the handle was added a bronze end cap and collar. Hiccup was stunned. He had spent hours every day in the smithy and had no clue that anything like this was being done. He looked out at the crowd of villagers and caught sight of Gobber, who winked and raised his mug/hand in salute. A lot of questions were going to be asked tomorrow.

Hiccup took hold of the axe and held it almost reverently. It was an incredible piece of craftsmanship. Looking at the fine engraving, he had an idea of what those diamonds had been used for. He turned it over in his hand and was almost oblivious to the hammering that had begun in salute to the six teens. He looked up at his father who was smiling widely under his beard.

"Happy Yule, son."

"Happy Yule, Dad."

Once the tumult had died away the six teens were sent back to their families, each grinning widely, except for Hiccup whose smile was more subdued. When he and Astrid sat down the two axes were passed around the table. While Mr. Hofferson was examining Hiccups he looked over and said,

"Fine weapon, Hiccup. I'd suggest you not use it for cutting firewood."

"Only if I'm freezing to death, sir," he replied with a smile, getting one in return.

The food quickly followed and there was a great deal of talking, laughing and shouting. Hiccup ate well, but he was anxious to get to the gift giving. He was excited about giving Astrid the first thing of significance he was ever able to. There was a lull and he leaned over and said,

"Would you mind if I gave you your present now?"

"Um, oh, ok, I guess so. I have yours, too, but you first."

He pulled a small wooden box from the pocket of his vest and placed it on the table between them. Without looking he was aware all eyes were on him. He said,

"This is the first present I've ever been able to give someone. I made most of it myself, with some help from Gobber and Olaf. I hope you like it."

He handed her the box. She slipped the cover off and her gasp was clearly heard at the far end of the table. She took it out with a shaky hand. It was an amulet. The rough natural diamond, about the size of man's finger nail, was clutched in a three toed dragon's claw made of cast and engraved copper. The strap was braided leather with a clasp at the back. She stared at it for a moment and then looked at Hiccup, her eyes full of wonder and tears.

"Oh, Hiccup, this is amazing. This is more than I could possibly…" she started to say but he cut her off.

"Don't even think about what something is worth. You've given me more than I could possible ever have hoped for. I'm just glad you like it," he said with a smile.

"I love it. Mom, can you help me with it? My hands are shaking too much," Astrid said with a nervous laugh.

Her mother obliged and undid the clasp, slipped the straps around her neck and fastened it at the back. It hung just below her throat and glinted in the fire and torch light in the Hall. She turned to her mother and asked,

"How does it look?"

"It's beautiful, just beautiful," her mother said, getting all misty eyed herself.

"Well done, young fellow," Mr. Hofferson added.

Once Astrid had collected herself she took a package from beside her on the bench and said,

"I should have gone first. Now this doesn't look so great."

"Nonsense, I'm sure it's wonderful," Hiccup said.

She handed him the package. He undid the simply piece of cloth and took out a long length of wool.

"It's a scarf, for when you're flying. You can wrap it around your neck and when you need to you can pull it up to cover the lower part of your face. I made it myself," she said quietly.

"You made this for me? This is wonderful, thank you," he said with a genuine smile.

Seeing his reaction she brightened considerably. With one hand on his arm she said,

"I asked Helgamell to help me with it. I made one for myself, the first one. Once I got it figured out, I did yours. It's like the wool she used for your padding. I'm glad you like it."

"Like you said, I love it. This will make flying a lot more comfortable. You're the best, you know that?" he said enthusiastically.

They exchanged hugs but considering the proximity of parents they left the kiss to another time. After a while Stoick came by and was duly impressed with the gifts.

"That's some very fine work, Hiccup. Of course, I can understand the inspiration," he said with a smile. "And that scarf is beautiful, Astrid. I may have to ask you for somethin' similar for myself. As I get older I feel the cold more."

"Don't we all," Astrid's father murmured.

"Dad, I have something for you," Hiccup said.

He took a small item from his pocket and handed it to his father. Stoick held in the palm of his hand. It was a small war hammer, cast in copper, about the size of a man's thumb. There was a pin on the back so it could be attached to a robe or tunic. The big man simply stared at it. He finally said,

"This is magnificent, Hiccup. Thank you," he said with simple, but heartfelt words.

More importantly he took it and carefully pinned it to the front of his tunic, just below were his vast beard ended.

"I'll wear it proudly," he added, with a squeeze of his big hand on his son's shoulder.

With a nod to the others, Stoick moved on, slowly and silently. Mr. Hofferson said,

"Well done, again, lad."

The celebration went well into the night and as a result, not much occurred the next day, but the day after the teens once more gathered in the Hall to talk and play Tafl. Snout and Tuff were wearing their axes, but the rest had left them safely at home. Astrid and Hiccup were hoping to put their plan into action regarding Ruff. The first step had happened when Ruff came over to sit down with them although it was near the end of the table. Legs and Hiccup played the first round and while they did, Astrid engaged Ruff in conversation and slowly coaxed her into moving down so they didn't have to shout at each other, as she said.

Curiosity overcame her reticence and she said those all important words,

"How do you play this game?"

Astrid shot Hiccup a quick glance and said,

"Well, they've just finished, so why don't you watch Hiccup and I play a game and Legs can explain it to you as we go? Then you can play Legs and Hiccup and I can coach you."

"Oh, well, like, okay."

And that was that. Legs was a little nervous at first having to talk to Ruff but since he was on safe ground he settled in and did an admirable job of explaining the game and keeping her attention. When it was her turn to play it was obvious that she had understood at least some of it and she actually seemed to be enjoying herself. Tuff and Snout just looked at the four and shook their heads. The allure of board games just didn't make sense to them.

Now time would only tell how well the plan worked in regard to Ruffnut and Fishlegs, but it should be noted that the situation between Ruff and Hiccup evolved to one of deep friendship with an element of brother/sister affection, the kind not seen between Ruff and Tuff. However, if anyone had ever made the effort to watch them over a period of time, they would not fail to notice that once in a while, Ruff would sit back and look at Hiccup and there would be a small, crooked smile that suggested two words…'what if'.


	7. Chapter 7

Forever After, Chapter 7

The depths of the far northern winter dragged on, leaving the village of Berk encased in snow and darkness. Even 'high noon' was a murky gray twilight. The youngest Vikings dealt with the tediousness with games, everything from sledding down the steep slopes behind the village to mock wars fought with snowballs in the lanes, fields and from behind fortress walls of snow and ice. The adults dealt with the seemingly endless night with work, drinking and talking in the Hall and the expansion of their families.

The teens had a problem. They considered themselves too old to engage in the pastimes of the children. As much as they might enjoy pelting each other with snowballs it was just not a cool thing for them to be doing. As to drinking and talking, the adults were only going to cede them the opportunity to talk. And the opportunities to engage in family expansion activities were so few and far between for the average teen in Berk that it didn't really enter into the discussion, much.

So they were left with work and a lot of hanging around the Hall talking and for those inclined, playing Tafl. Hiccup spent his days working in the smithy with Gobber. Astrid had taken to spending more time with Helgamell the weaver. But not all her time. For at least an hour every day a steady stream of 'thunks' could be heard from behind her family's house. The three other boys had been drafted into assisting with preparations for the coming Spring and the anticipated exploration and exploitation of the volcanic island.

Ruffnut was at a bit of a loss for something to do while the others were busy with work. But most nights the six of them could be found at the Hall. The Tafl board would be on the table, the games rotating between the two girls, Legs and Hiccup. Tuff and Snout still couldn't grasp the idea of what made a board game fun. Tuffnut did find some enjoyment in needling his sister whenever she was in trouble during the course of a game. Tuff's comments would get on Fishleg's nerves after a while and a glare accompanied by a bunched fist would quiet the belligerent boy down for a while.

On one such evening in the waning days of the months long night, Hiccup and Astrid were sitting at the far end of the table while Legs and Ruff were playing a game and the other boys were arguing about something. Astrid was fingering the amulet that hung around her neck. It had become a habit whenever she was talking with Hiccup. Her expression at the moment was very thoughtful.

"What?" Hiccup asked.

"What do you mean 'what?'" she asked.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, um," she said as she reached down to take his hand. "Well, have you ever thought about getting, you know, married?"

"What? You mean us? You and me?"

"Of course I mean you and me. Who else would I be talking about?" Astrid replied.

Hiccup stared at Astrid. He was well aware of how Astrid felt about him but her question caught him completely by surprise. But he also had promised he would never lie to her, so no matter how embarrassing the answer would be, he had to tell her the truth.

"Yes, I have thought about getting married. And yes, I thought about it being us. And to be completely honest, the first time I thought about it, I was about twelve."

"Twelve? But we've only been, well, us for less than six months," Astrid said, getting a little pink in the cheeks.

"We've talked about this before, you know," Hiccup replied.

"Well, yeah, but I never thought…well, you know."

Hiccup had to smile to himself seeing Astrid's usual self assurance slip. He'd feel bad about it later, but right now he was enjoying it.

"You never thought that I would have such impossible dreams," he replied.

"I'm trying to forget a lot of the things I used to think," she said, her voice carrying a faint note of bitterness.

"Let it go," Hiccup said quietly. "Now what were we talking about? Oh yeah, getting married. Yes, I did but there's a lot of details that I didn't think about. Like where to live and how to support a family."

Astrid's expression lightened and she laughed a bit.

"Hiccup, sweetheart, I didn't mean here and now," she said, using a finger to trace an idle pattern on his forearm. "But if you, you know, thought it was going to happen, we could work those kinds of details out, ahead of time."

Hiccup looked at her, amazed that this conversation was even taking place. He took a deep breath and squeezed her hand and said,

"I think I'd like to have those conversations very much," he said but then his expression darkened. "You know it's not really up to us. Marriages around here are almost always arranged by the families. I mean I know your mom seems to like me but does she really want you married to this," he said, gesturing to his left leg with a nod of his head.

"Hiccup, do you remember what I said about how my mother feels that you saved me?"

"Yes, the whole dragon killing obsession business," he replied.

"Exactly. Well, there was a reason for that. My parents had been looking at the possibility of arranging something for me but they couldn't get anyone to agree," she said quietly.

"What? How could that possibly be? I mean look at you. You're beautiful, you're smart, and you're as tough as a piece of wrought iron. I've never seen anyone who can handle a battle axe the way you do," Hiccup said in astonished dismay.

"Exactly, and you're the sweetest boy in the world for saying it that way, but the tough and smart wasn't all that attractive. Plus my dad is just a sheep herder. That doesn't make us exactly high on the list of families to ally with. So when my mom saw what happened with us it gave her a lot of hope. The question is your dad."

"What about my dad?"

"Hiccup, for Odin's sake, your dad is the chief of the tribe and despite all his troubles lately that still means a whole lot. And look at you, you defeated that horrible monster…".

"We defeated it you mean," Hiccup interrupted.

"We helped but you were the one that led us, that used yourself as bait and destroyed that thing and lost a part of your leg in the process. Not to mention all you showed us about dragons and what that's leading to. Hiccup, you and your dad are the closest thing to royalty we have around here. You're like a prince. Add to that all you've accomplished, you've got to be the biggest catch for a girl out there."

"Astrid, don't be ridiculous. I'm an apprentice in a black smith shop. That's hardly royalty," he scoffed.

"I love the fact that you have no clue sometimes. A black smith is a very important man in any Viking village. Add to that what you've shown with the work you've done with the copper ornaments and all that could come in the future with the island and all…," she said and then her eyes shifted away. "I'm just afraid that your father won't think I'm worthy of you."

Hiccup was dumbfounded. This was a complete turnaround from what he thought this sort of discussion would take. He had always thought he was the one who lacked worth. It was killing him to see the look she now wore. He took both of her hands and said,

"Astrid, I promise you that I'll talk to my dad about this, and soon. My guess is he'll be more than happy about the idea. But if he's not, it won't matter. Toothless and I can go anywhere, and you'll come, too. Do you believe me?"

With eyes wide and shiny she nodded hesitantly. Hiccup smiled encouragingly and then said quietly,

"I want to tell you something else," and beckoned her closer.

Astrid was smiling faintly but her eyes also had a curious look, wondering what else he had to say.

"I love you, Astrid Hofferson," and then he stole a quick kiss.

As he started to pull away, Astrid's hand shot out, grabbing his tunic collar and she pulled him back for a longer, deeper one. They did pull apart when they heard Tuffnut say in his best loud obnoxious voice,

"Hey, why don't you two take that somewhere else?"

Unfortunately for Tuffnut , he was sitting just a little too close to his sister. He barely got the words out of his mouth when he caught a backhanded slap to the head from Ruffnut. His helmet went flying off to clatter on the flagstone floor. She looked at her brother with narrowed eyes and snapped,

"Shut up, Tuff. Leave 'em alone."

Astrid and Hiccup looked at each other with raised eyebrows but got no further when they all heard,

"Hiccup!"

It was Stoick. He was sitting at a table talking to a small group of men. When Hiccup looked over he saw his father beckon to him with a raised hand. Hiccup looked back at Astrid.

"I wonder what he wants. I don't think I've messed anything up in a while."

She gave him a light punch to the shoulder.

"He wants to talk to you, Hiccup, not yell at you. Go find out what it is before he does start yelling," she said.

Hiccup gave a small laugh and then got up and hurried over to his father.

"Yes, sir?"

"Hiccup, son, sit down," Stoick said.

"Yes, sir?"

"Son, we've been discussing the absence of dragon raids this winter. I wanted to get your thoughts about it."

"Alright, Dad," Hiccup replied.

"And…" Stoick prompted.

"Oh, sorry. Um, well, when Astrid and I were in the nest that time it was pretty obvious that nearly all the food they were stealing from us and what else they could find was going to that huge monster. With it gone they don't need all that much. And when I think about what I've seen with Toothless they seem to prefer not being out in the deep cold. He spends nearly all day curled up by the fire and doesn't eat all that much. I'd think we'd find most of the dragons in and around that volcano staying warm."

The men around the table merely nodded. Stoick asked,

"What about the other dragons, the ones your friends and the others ride?"

"I'm not really sure about all of them. I know Astrid's Nadder has been very inactive. I'd think Fishlegs would know more. He's been paying a lot of attention to the dragons," Hiccup replied.

Stoick nodded and looked over to the table where the teens were gathered.

"Fishlegs! We need you over here," he said loudly.

The oversized, studious teen looked up startled and then he got up and hurried over to the table of adults.

"Y-yes, sir?" he asked nervously.

"No need to be nervous, lad. Hiccup tells us you might be able to tell us something about the dragons that have remained around the village this winter."

"Oh, yes, sir," Legs replied feeling a bit more confident.

"We were wondering about the lack of dragon raids this winter. Hiccup thinks that with that monster gone they don't need as much food and may even be hibernatin'. What do you think?"

"Well, sir, I think he's absolutely right about the first part of it. I'd think that huge one must have needed more food than all the rest combined. As to the hibernating, I don't know if it's like a bear does but since the sun went away and the ice has closed in they've become very docile, sir. Hardly eat at all, don't want to fly, spend most of the time huddled up and sleeping," Fishlegs finished.

"So, Fishlegs," Stoick said, "you've really been keepin' an eye on these flyin' devils, haven't you?"

"Yes, sir. They're very interesting creatures."

"Alright then, I know you have other work to do but as much as possible I want you to learn all you can about these dragons. What they can do, how much we can trust them, whatever you can find out. Can you do that?" Stoick asked.

"Yes, sir," Legs said, standing a little taller.

"Good lad. That's all we had for now, but we'll be talkin' more. You, too, Hiccup, that's all for tonight."

"Yes, sir," Hiccup replied and he walked back to the others with Fishlegs.

Astrid had moved down next to Ruffnut and the four teens were looking at the two boys as they got closer.

"So, what did they want?" Astrid asked.

"They were curious about the lack of dragon raids this winter. I told them what I thought and suggested Legs might know more."

"Yeah," Legs said, "and Stoick wants me to learn as much as I can about them, the dragons."

"Really?" Ruff began. "Like, that's cool. Sounds like you'll be pretty important."

Legs looked a bit embarrassed but then looked at Ruff thoughtfully. The he said,

"You know, this will be a lot of work and I have my other stuff to do. Would you want to help me?"

"What? You, like, think I could help you learn stuff?" she asked, surprised.

"Sure. I don't think there'll be that much to do while it stays really cold, but once they get active again I'll need lots of help," Legs said.

Several expressions shifted Ruff's features and then she said,

"Like, okay, but you'll have to show me what to do."

"I can do that."

"Hey, what about us?" Snoutlout blurted out, somewhat indignantly.

"What about you?" Ruff responded.

"Maybe we'd like to help, too."

Fishlegs scratched his head a bit and said,

"Well, right now there's not that much going on with the dragons," Fishlegs said. "And like me you guys have work to do. But like I said, in the Spring they'll get more active and then you and Tuff can help us, okay?"

Snout appeared to think it over and then said,

"Yeah, I guess that would be okay."

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged little smiles. This arrangement set the pattern for the rest of the winter night. While the others were working, Ruff would go to the fighting arena and check on the dragons there. As best she could in the snowy and twilight conditions found several places where a handful of dragons had roosted in some protected space. Interestingly, in each of these, a Nightmare would be surrounded by a mix of other dragons. However, the little Terrors were nowhere to be found. In the evenings Ruff and Legs would go over her observations with Legs jotting down notes in a book he had fabricated from used pieces of parchment, old linen and anything else that would hold ink.

In the case of Hiccup, he found himself with an interesting dilemma. As Gobber's apprentice he was obliged to put in long hours helping recondition the recovered metal fittings from the destroyed ships as well as help make new ones. The problem was that as more and more of the villagers got a look at his handiwork in the way of Astrid's amulet and his father's hammer pin, he was being asked to fashion similar items.

The difficulties with this were several. One, he didn't have much in the way of raw material, both the metal for casting or the wax used to form the core of the mold. Nor did he have a great deal of free time. However, he was able to make a couple of items using scrap material supplied by the requester. When time permitted he was able to experiment with sand casting iron for small decorative pieces. He wasn't quite there yet but it looked promising. He hoped that perhaps the volcanic island might provide a source for raw materials.

It was becoming evident that the villagers were getting edgy. Even the elders, who had endured numerous three month long nights were anxious for this one to end and let the northern sun reveal the promise of what the volcanic island held.

Finally, the day came when the twilight like conditions of the far northern winter had lightened enough for Stoick to consider sending dragons back to the island. The sea ice still kept all the boats in dry dock.

"Come on, Dad. You know Toothless and I have flown at night. There's plenty of light to see by now," Hiccup pleaded his case one morning as they ate breakfast.

"Aye, lad, I know you have. I also know it was quite a bit warmer and your beast was alert and well fed. Look at him, son. I may not know much about 'em, but I don't think he's ready for a flight that long. Get 'em fed up and in shape and we'll talk about it in a couple of weeks."

"Yes, sir," Hiccup said, obviously disappointed.

He looked over at Toothless who had been regarding the conversation with one eye slightly opened. Hiccup said,

"Come on, Toothless. It's time for you to get out and about again. I'm beginning to think you guys are a bunch of lazy critters."

Toothless warbled low in his throat but didn't seem inclined to move.

"Come on, you overgrown lizard. You've slept for nearly the whole long night. It's time to do something out there."

Toothless replied with a snort.

"Why, you useless reptile," Hiccup began to retort but he was interrupted by his father.

"Hiccup, that's no way to talk to your best friend and someone who saved your life."

"I don't know about that, Dad. I mean you hear the way Ruff and Tuff talk to each other. And they're brother and sister, twins even," Hiccup argued back.

Stoick shook his head.

"Entirely different matter, son. Brothers and sisters will often say the worst about each other and mean it the least. With friends, it's different. Try again."

Hiccup let out a sigh and looked at the Night Fury.

"Toothless, it's time for you and me to get back to work. We need to get in shape for a busy season. Let's get outside and take a short flight, okay?"

The dragon looked at Hiccup with wide eyes and then gave an almost insolent shake of his head. He hauled himself to his feet and began walking towards the door but not before giving Hiccup a nudge with his shoulder. It was Hiccup's turn to snort but he limped over to the rack by the door to pull on his coat, flying cloak and scarf. Astrid had also provided a pair of mittens she had made as part of her lessons with Helgamell. They were made of sheepskin outers with wool inners. It took a bit of time to get Toothless fitted out with his gear but he was finally ready. In no time at all they were airborne in the pale twilight of morning.

The first thing Hiccup noted was there was no hesitation or apparent difficulty getting into the air. In fact, once Toothless got off the ground he seemed to lose all trace of reluctance and Hiccup had to persuade him to keep his altitude low and airspeed down to prevent the boy from turning into an ice sculpture. Dragon and rider took a leisurely cruise along the coast of the island.

Hiccup could see spreading out from the land on all sides, the white expanse of sea ice. Here and there the flat expanse was punctuated with cracks or pressure ridges, but nowhere was open water visible. The docks below the village were encased but it didn't matter since all the remaining boats had been taken to the other side of the island to be hauled out on the rocky beach for safety and repairs. The flight brought him over this boatyard and he could see the demasted hulls, many of which were cleared of snow for repairs. This side of the island was heavily forested and signs of logging were evident. Hiccup knew that preparations were already underway to build replacements.

While Astrid's scarf and mittens were working, he would have to talk to her about some sort of hat. At the moment he was using the scarf as a head wrap but a hat would be much better. It took about an hour but they had the village back in view. But his eyes strayed to the west and the adventure that lay beyond the horizon.


	8. Chapter 8

Forever After, Chapter 8

A very important day was approaching for the villagers of Berk. It would soon be the day when the full disk of the sun would appear above the horizon again. It had already begun to show itself but the tradition held that only showing the full disk would convince the people that daylight would return after the long winter night. Hiccup was looking forward to this day with both anticipation and trepidation. He had told Astrid that he intended to talk to his father on this day about the possibility of their marrying.

He had decided to broach the topic on the day of the first full sunrise because he knew his father was always in a good mood that day. While he was reasonably confident his father would support the idea he was not opposed to trying to stack the odds in his favor whenever possible. He was in a pretty good mood himself.

Based on his father's insistence that he insure that Toothless was prepared for a trip back to the volcanic island he had been able to negotiate with Gobber some time off midday to take the Night Fury out on conditioning flights. After the first one he was also bringing Astrid along more often than not. Her discovery of these flights did not go smoothly, however. The evening after the first flight Hiccup was with Astrid and the others in the Hall. It was Fishlegs that innocently let the dragon out of the bag so to speak.

"Hey, Hiccup," Legs said, "I saw you flying over the boat beach earlier. Toothless looks like he's in good shape."

"Yeah, my dad was concerned that he was out of shape after doing next to nothing for the last six weeks. He told me to get him out and see what condition he was in. He's doing fine. I'll try and work out something with Gobber about getting some time each day to let him stretch his wings."

As Hiccup held this conversation with Legs he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise and a hand with a grip like iron tightening on his own. He looked over at Astrid who was regarding him through narrowed eyes.

"Am I to understand you took Toothless for a ride today by yourself?"

"That's right."

"After all these weeks you didn't think to invite me to go along with you?"

Now it has previously been noted that Hiccup was a very intelligent young man. It was painfully obvious, thanks to her grip on his hand, that Astrid was upset. He realized that his answer would be very important. He placed his free hand over the one that was gripping his other so hard and said,

"How could I possibly risk that?"

"Risk what?"

"You, of course. I had no idea how Toothless would do carrying just me. How could I take the risk of him carrying both of us on his first flight after all those weeks of inactivity?" he asked, his eyes fixed on hers.

He could see by the way that her expression changed as she considered his words. Her eyes squinted tighter, her lips pursed then relaxed. Finally, she let out a breath and eased the grip on his hand.

"Alright, Mr. Haddock. I'll give you this one but I better know about the next time," she said.

Hiccup didn't miss a beat. He squeezed her hand and said,

"As soon as I work something out with Gobber I'll let you know and we'll go out. Maybe we can bring Spikes out as well. That probably goes for every one."

This got everyone nodding but it took two days and a bit of pushing from Stoick himself to get all the flyers some time to get their dragons in the air. This allowed Hiccup and Astrid at least one flight to themselves and that was with the two of them on Toothless. Bundled in their cold weather gear they circled the island, Toothless gliding in and out of shadows created by the brief sunlight just over the horizon.

In the days that followed, the brief but increasing daylight revealed more dragons and their flyers preparing for the big day when they'd all head out. And it brought the villagers to the day when the sun finally broke free of the horizon and brought with it the promise of continued life. Hiccup saw the day as important to his continuing life so after the gathering at the southern edge of the island to observe the sunrise he went in search of his father.

He found him in a conversation with several men, one of whom he recognized as Astrid's father. He stood off to one side, trying not to intrude but he had to keep moving to shake of the worst of the cold. As a result he attracted his father's attention.

"Hiccup, son," Stoick began, "was there something you wanted?"

"Um, I'd like to talk to you, Dad. If you have a moment?"

"Let me finish up here. Go to the smithy and warm yourself up and I'll be right there," Stoick replied.

"Yes, sir," Hiccup said and then began the short trek to the blacksmith shop.

He limped his way down to the smithy. When he went inside he felt the gentle warmth, a combination of the residual heat left from the prior day's work and the banked coals in the forge. He went into his workroom and sat down at the table where he did sketching and model making.

As he waited for his father he went over his plan of what he would say and what arguments he would bring to bear to counter any objections his dad might raise. It was perhaps a quarter hour before Stoick arrived and pushed his way through the narrow door opening between the shop and Hiccup's room. Stoick took off his helmet and sat down on the other stool.

"Alright, son. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, sir, um, it's like this…" Hiccup said, his entire plan evaporating like frost on the forge.

It was a testament to Stoick's good mood that he simply sat back on the stool with his hands on his knees. Hiccup took a deep breath and started again.

"Dad, Astrid and I want to get married."

Stoick didn't move, not even a blink of an eye, for several moments and then said,

"Now?"

"What?" Hiccup asked. "No, sir, not now. At some point in the future, though."

"You understand, son, that these things are usually dealt with by the parents with advice from the village elders and so forth."

"I know that, sir. But we thought that maybe because of your, well, being you and the fact that Astrid's parents hadn't had any success so far, that…" he let it hang.

"Yes, I'm well aware of the challenge that Astrid presented. Very few men are interested in a wife that could beat them in a fight. That and the fact that she, until very recently, successfully resisted every attempt to teach her the basic skills of running a household," Stoick said, looking at his son, now with his arms folded. "Now does that sound like the proper wife for the son of a tribal chief?"

Hiccup looked his father straight in the eye and said,

"I don't care whether she can cook or keep house or not, sir. For the things I want to do with my life, I want someone standing at my side who can beat me in a fight, not that that would take very much. Anyway, it will help make up for this," he said, slapping his left leg.

Stoick looked at his son and frowned.

"Yes, I can see how you might think that. But I'm afraid you're a little late in coming to me with this," he said.

With his heart dropping into his stomach Hiccup asked.

"Late? You mean you've other arrangements already made?"

"Late because Astrid's parents and I had already come to an agreement several weeks after you recovered from your injuries," Stoick replied.

"You mean…"

"That's right, son. You and Astrid can consider yourselves matched. The question now is when."

"Um, why's that?" Hiccup asked as best he could as he tried to absorb what he had just been told.

"Well, son, if it was just a matter of age Astrid wouldn't be an issue, but her mother insists she has a lot yet to learn and she seems more inclined to listen these days. As for you, officially you're still an apprentice so you aren't eligible to marry yet. So the agreement will be drawn up but we'll put off the actual wedding for a time. Deal?"

"Deal," Hiccup said, still a little stunned.

"Good. Now go and find your intended and explain it all to her."

Hiccup started to smile and then a thought struck him and his expression changed.

"Wait a minute. If she's willing to learn all this stuff doesn't that mean she already knows?"

"Hopes would be a better word, son. Apparently, she confided certain things to her mother while you were recovering. But she hasn't been told anything about an agreement."

Hiccup's smile returned.

"Yes, sir, and thanks, Dad. For everything."

"Thank you, son."

With that, Stoick stood up and pushed his way back out of the small work room. Hiccup sat for a few moments considering how things had worked out. Either the gods had a very odd sense of humor or he was the luckiest Viking to ever live. He finally slid off his stool and went in search of Astrid. He didn't think she'd be at Helgamell's since the day was considered a holiday. He stopped at the Hall but there were only small groups here and there at the tables. He wasn't comfortable with the idea of seeing Astrid's parents but he stopped by the Hoffersons' and asked after her. Her mother told him she was somewhere down by the docks. Her knowing smile held a great deal more meaning now that Hiccup understood what had been going on.

He wasn't looking forward to the long trek down to the docks but he couldn't think of a better way, or reason for that matter. Fortunately Toothless had a better idea. As Hiccup began the slow walk along the wooden walkway the Night Fury trotted up besides his rider. While he wasn't wearing his riding gear, the dragon could still walk much faster than Hiccup could limp. With a few nudges he got the idea across and Hiccup climbed up on his shoulders.

The trip was much quicker and more enjoyable since Toothless was able to add a few gliding lunges on the downhill sections. And sure enough, there standing at the end of one of the wooden piers was the solitary figure of Astrid, bundled in her riding furs staring out at the expanse of sea ice. She turned when she heard the sound of Toothless walking up behind her. Her expression was a mix of anxiety and hope. Hiccup slid off the dragon and hurried to her as best he could on the snow covered wood.

"Did you talk to your father?" she asked.

"Yes, I did," Hiccup replied, his expression serious.

"And…" she asked, the anxiety overwhelming the hope.

"He told me I was a little late in asking. He said that an arrangement had already been made for me."

Astrid seemed to shrink in on herself and she asked in a pathetically small voice,

"Who?"

Hiccup took in a deep breath and said,

"You."

Unfortunately for Hiccup, he was standing just a bit too close to Astrid when he said it. At the word 'you' her eyes went wide and then narrowed. Despite her recent interest in the domestic arts there was still plenty of the old Astrid left. She lashed out with her first and caught Hiccup neatly on the chin. His head snapped back and he took two faltering steps backward and then went down to lie sprawled on his back in the snow. Toothless screeched, but fortunately Hiccup stayed aware and he called the dragon to order. Astrid darted forward to kneel at his side.

"Oh, gods, Hiccup. I'm so sorry. You just surprised me and I reacted."

She helped him sit up and she held him tightly. She cradled his head to her chest.

"No, Astrid, it's my fault. I shouldn't have teased you like that. I got what I deserved. Help me up, would you please?" he asked.

Astrid put her arms around his back and helped him back onto his feet, or foot. Toothless came close and sniffed at him to make sure he was alright. He then looked at Astrid with narrowed eyes.

"No, Toothless. It's okay. I deserved that," Hiccup said.

"I'm sorry, Toothless," Astrid said. "I shouldn't have hit him like that."

As she said this she scratched the Night Fury's neck vigorously. The dragon warbled and then sat back on his haunches but stayed near. Hiccup looked at Astrid and smiled despite his sore jaw.

"Let me try this again. Astrid, our parents reached an agreement several months ago for you and me to be married. The question now is when, but we have time to figure that out. That is if you're still interested and haven't figured out what a terrible husband I'm liable to be."

"Stop that, Hiccup. You know how I feel and you will not be a terrible husband so stop teasing me," she said.

"I'm sorry. I guess there is something I could be doing instead," he replied and then he grabbed her and pulled her close and started kissing her.

It was a kiss that held the promise of all that the future had in store and Astrid was quick to respond in kind. They remained that way for many minutes insulating each other from the cold. When they finally did separate, Astrid looked at Hiccup, her eyes wide with wonder. The only thing she could manage to say was,

"Wow."

Without letting go of each other they climbed onto Toothless' back and he took his time walking back up to the village proper and the beginning of the rest of their lives together.


	9. Chapter 9

Forever After, Chapter 9

"Now, you understand what it is I want you to do?" Stoick asked.

"Yes, sir," Hiccup replied looking at his father from the back of Toothless. "We do a more detailed search of the beach where we had the fight, go further down the coast and see what the mouth of the cave looks like now that it's been broken open so much. Also, have someone check for the entrance Astrid and I went through the first time. Take notes, draw maps, but stay out of trouble."

"And…?"

"Be back here before it gets full dark," Hiccup finished.

"Right. Now if somethin' does happen, send someone to the search party in the bowl. They plan to stay for a least a week. But you only go there if you have serious trouble. I want to see all of you back here tonight."

"Yes, sir."

"Alright. Of you go and good luck," Stoick said, stepping back.

Hiccup looked around at the other teens, all mounted on their respective dragons, equipped for a day of searching the rocky strand that had come to be called 'Battle Beach'. With a wave he urged them all airborne and in just a few moments they were winging their way out over the harbor and westward toward the volcanic island. While there would only be a two or three hours of real daylight, the morning and evening twilight was light enough for safe flying.

The plan of action was as soon as they arrived, Snout and Legs would peel off to investigate the far side of the volcano to look for the entrance cavern and any sign of where the other dragons may have been spending the winter. They were to also look for any interesting signs that they could find from the air. The other four would land and start searching the beach and its surroundings.

Having been a bit more experienced with flying they kept the dragons on a steady course and allowed them to fall into a pace that would keep them from getting too tired. The sea ice was still a solid white mass and it would be for a number of weeks. A distressed dragon would be able to land but the chances of surviving for any length of time on the ice would be minute.

By the time the sun was breaking free of the horizon the teen flyers had arrived at the east side of the island with its active volcano and heavy land hugging cloud mass. With a wave, Snoutlout and Fishlegs veered to the north and the rest followed Hiccup and Toothless in a careful, shallow descent over the rocky outcrops and then to the stony beach itself. Despite it still being winter, there was no snow or ice on the beach or any pack ice in and among the towers of rock that rose out of the water off the beach. The air was also noticeably warmer.

The flyers slid off their dragons and looked around. Astrid looked at Hiccup and said,

"You'd hardly think we had gone through any winter at all. Is it because of the volcano, you think?"

"I'd have to think so," he said as he undid the fastenings of his riding cloak. "The heat must be coming right up through the ground. I wonder what it's like in the bowl."

"Never mind that. You heard what your father said. We'll find out soon enough. Where do you want to start?"

"How about with the cave. Looks like a lot of climbing around so it'll be easier if we're not too tired out," Hiccup replied.

"You'll, like, be okay trying to climb around like that?" Ruffnut asked.

"I'll be fine, Ruff, thanks for asking. Gobber made something for me," Hiccup said, as he went to Toothless and unstrapped something from the saddle.

It looked like a long handled hammer that had a spike on the end of the handle and a combination rock hammer and pick head on the other.

"I can use it for breaking off samples and also as a cane or walking stick. Pretty handy," Hiccup said. "Plus I did a little something myself."

He held up what looked like a small sock made of old leather with the bottom surfaced roughed up. He slipped it over the 'foot' of his iron lower leg and tied it tight.

"This should give me the same footing as my boot."

"Alright, so let's go see what we can find," Astrid said.

As the four teens walked away it appeared that the dragons had already decided that they were going to take advantage of the unexpected warmth. With some quick claw work the three creatures made shallow depressions in the stones of the beach and were quickly asleep in these warm nests.

When the monster dragon had pushed its way out of the tunnel-like cave it had sent countless tons of rocky debris raining down over a large section of ground. At first they were able to walk around most of it, with Hiccup carefully examining the debris, looking for evidence off anything of value. Gobber had given him clues. The one thing he didn't expect to find were any traces of iron ore in this area but there were hopes that perhaps on the far west end of the island there might be something.

Soon the boulders got larger and were grouping into piles that formed the leading edge of the slope of debris bracketing the large hole that was the caves new entrance. One thing was obvious. There wasn't a dragon in sight. Nor any other trace of them. Ruff and Tuff began to scramble up over the larger rocks, treating the others to a barrage of taunts about who could climb better. Hiccup did his best to use the rock hammer to steady himself but Astrid stayed near to lend a hand when needed. To his credit, Hiccup swallowed whatever frustration he might have been feeling about his restricted mobility and accepted Astrid's assistance with wry humor.

As they reached to top of one large piece of rock a glint caught his eye. He crouched down as best he could and he began to tap at the rock around the material to try and break it free. After a few moments he worked out a piece of crystal like material half the size of his fist. As he turned it around in his hands he saw something else.

"What is it, Hiccup? It's very pretty."

"Yes, it is. It's called quartz. Gobber told me you often find it around volcanoes. And a lot of times it has something else with it. See?" he said, point to something just below the surface of one section.

"What is it? It looks like…"

"Yup, that's gold."

"Gold? Are you sure?" Astrid asked.

"Yes, Gobber told me what to look for and showed me a little piece that he had tucked away. He said it usually runs in lines, or veins they call it. This might have been at an end. We need to see if we can find more. Ruff, Tuff, come here a minute," he called out.

The twins pushed and shoved their way back to the other two and came to a stop.

"This is one of the things that we were sent to look for. Keep your eyes open and see if you can spot anymore like it. That's if you don't kill yourselves first," he finished with a small grin.

Tuff just laughed and turned to bound back up the rocks. Ruff looked a little embarrassed and then trailed after her brother. Hiccup looked at Astrid and shrugged a bit and then tucked the rock into the bag he had slung over his shoulder. Perhaps twenty minutes later they heard a shout from further up the slope and looking up they saw Ruff waving to them. It took a bit of time to make the climb up but when they got there it was obvious it had been worth it.

Ruff was standing on a large boulder that had been broken out of the rock that was just around the edge of the original opening. Beneath her feet and on the face of the newly exposed rock were stands of quartz as thick as a man's wrist and it was clear that gold was embedded in a great deal of it. Tuff, who had drifted further from the opening in his search, yelled something as well. Hiccup looked over and yelled,

"What have you got?"

"I don't know. It doesn't look like what you showed us but it looks different from the rest of the rock."

Hiccup had to carefully pick his way across the broken scree but once again, what he saw was worth the trip. What he was looking at was a significant concentration of greenish rock that he recognized immediately as copper ore. Using his hammer he broke off several good sized chunks and added it to his bag. If he wasn't careful he was going to throw his balance off. Tuff seemed to recognize this.

"Hey, let me carry that before it drags you down off these rocks."

With a small grin, Hiccup slid the bag strap off his shoulder and handed it to Tuff. It was becoming rapidly apparent to him that while these finds could be of immense value to the people of Berk there was going to be some issues. He never was able to find out from his father what sort of agreements, if any, had been reached about ownership and claims and the like. They spent the next hour scrambling around on the rocks and found additional traces of more gold and copper but Hiccup had all the samples he needed.

They made their way to the edge of the now enormous opening and looked inside. The smell was not particularly pleasant but it could have been worse. Not much of the tunnel was visible and the look of the rock facing of the walls and what passed of a ceiling didn't look too stable. Hiccup had an idea.

"Toothless. Toothless, can you come up here, please?"

When he said please he got a funny look from all three of his companions. He looked back at them and said,

"What?"

Nobody said anything but he got three versions of an odd smile. He shook his head and concentrated on watching the Night Fury approach in a series of leaps and bounds up to where they were. Toothless regarded his flyer with an inquisitive expression.

"Toothless, can you light up the tunnel for us? Shoot some fire down there?" Hiccup asked, pointing into the tunnel, even going so far as trying to imitate the dragon puffing.

The dragon shook his head a bit and then looked down into the tunnel. He snorted a bit through his nostrils, which Hiccup recognized as meaning things smelled bad to the Night Fury. Toothless than took a deep breath and let loose with a large ball of white hot fire that traveled quickly down the tunnel, showing that it was pretty much the same as it was at the opening. The tunnel looked fairly long and then it appeared that the ball of fire struck a far wall and exploded. As the concussion rebounded down the tunnel more loose rock was dislodged. By the time the shockwave got to the opening it had lost most of its energy.

"I don't know about any of you but I'm not looking to walk down there just yet. Let's head back down and check out the rest of the beach," Hiccup said.

Ruff and Tuff bounded down the boulders while Hiccup and Astrid took a more measured pace. The boy thought that if he had to go through life being helped up and down obstacles to do his exploring, as long as it was Astrid helping him, it would't be too bad at all. When they got back down to the stony beach, the twins were picking up the beach rocks and throwing them towards the shoreline.

"Um, guys. You might want to check those rocks before you throw them. You never know how valuable they might be," Hiccup said with a grin.

"Idiot," Ruff jeered at her brother. "I told you not to thrown these things. Like, the whole place might be worth a fortune."

"Yeah, like you'd know anything about what something is worth," Tuff shot back.

"I know enough to figure out something that's pretty worthless," she returned, looking directly at him.

This started a shoving match until Hiccup sighed and said,

"Hey, remember, I'm the one with the hammer here, so cut it out, will you?"

Of course it helped a great deal that Toothless was standing on a boulder directly behind Hiccup and Astrid and was regarding the bellicose siblings with narrowed eyes and his ears folded back. This got their attention immediately and they backed away from each other. With a shake of his head Hiccup led the way down towards the shoreline and then began retracing the track he and the twins had taken the previous time. This time they went well beyond the original two hundred pace distance. And while Spikes and Ratntat stayed in their cozy nests, Toothless tagged along behind the four teens.

Hiccup kept his eyes on the ground but only noted the additional rocks of the kind that had yielded the few diamonds from the first trip. He did suggest that maybe Ruff or Tuff pick up a few likely looking candidates that might provide them with their own souvenirs. Astrid had also been looking and she bent down and picked up a rather sizable sample and when Hiccup looked at her she just smiled a bit.

Finally they came to the end of the stone strand and stood looking at the land rising up until the coastline that faded into the low clouds had turned into shear cliffs at least five hundred feet tall. They couldn't tell what was up top but it looked like a fair number of birds were making their homes on the cliff face.

"Okay, I guess this is as far as we go. Let's head back, maybe Snout and Legs have returned," Hiccup said.

"Alright. How are you holding up?" Astrid asked.

"I'm doing okay. I guess maybe I'm starting to get used to it. It takes a bit to work out the best way to walk, and the hammer helps a lot."

As they walked along Hiccup looked out over the water and noticed that this far down there didn't seem to be as many of the tall rocks sticking up above the water. Maybe it would be easier to beach here than using Hellhiem's gate as had been done in the past. He'd have to suggest it to his father that evening.

When they were finally able to see where they had originally landed they could see that Snout and Legs had indeed returned. Their dragons had made nest for themselves and were sound asleep. The two boys hurried over and Hiccup asked,

"So, did you find anything?"

"We did find that cave mouth you talked about. The dragons weren't too happy about going in but they did. Didn't see a sign of any other dragons," Snout said.

"Not surprising, really," Legs began. "They were pretty much prisoners in there. Your dad and the others said they just flew away as fast as they could when they broke open the mountainside. I'd think they'd try and find someplace else, almost anyplace else, to live."

"Sounds likely," Hiccup said. "Well, why don't we have something to eat and let your dragons get some rest and then we'll head back to Berk."

"I think I'll look some more for a tooth of that big dragon," Snout said. "There should be something left."

"I'll help," Tuff said and the two went off to rummage among the wreckage that had been a monster.

"So what did you guys find?" Fish legs asked.

Hiccup reached into his satchel and pulled out samples of the copper ore and the gold laden quartz. Ruff pulled out her sample of the rocks from the beach.

"Whoa," Fish said as he turned the quartz over in his hands. "Was there much of it?"

"Looked like a lot to me but I don't know much about this sort of thing. There was a fair amount of the copper, too. I guess I'll be able to make some of those things people were asking for over the winter. Looks like I'll be able to support a family after all," he said with a grin.

Astrid smiled a bit and then said,

"All in due time, Mr. Haddock. You're not going to weigh me down with kids for a while yet. We go exploring as a team."

"Yes, ma'am," Hiccup replied in all seriousness and then winked.

"Do you, like, think they'll let the rest of us going exploring, too?" Ruff asked.

"It's possible, although, I know Dad wants you guys to do as much studying of dragons as you can. My guess is he'd want you to see if you could find where all the other wild ones wound up."

Fishlegs was still looking at the gold laced quartz in his hands and then up at the mountain. Then he said,

"You know, Hiccup. There might be a problem here. If there's more than just a little bit of the gold and copper and stuff there might be fights over who owns what and who can mine it."

"I know. That was one of the things my dad and the others have been discussing all winter. Since there weren't any arguments that I know off and no sign anyone sneaked over here they must have something worked out but I haven't been able to find out anything. I'm just hoping he lets me keep this stuff so I can make a few things."

"I'll bet he does, Hiccup," Astrid said. "I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he lets you come here and dig out more. After everything that happened this is as much your beach as anyone's."

Hiccup just shrugged. Any further discussion along this line was interrupted by a shout from the two boys searching for dental remains. Snout was holding up a chunk of something and Tuff a smaller piece. They hurried over to show their trophies to the others.

"What do you have there?" Hiccup asked.

Snout was holding what looked to be a grayish white cap of some sort. As the others examined it they came to the conclusion it was the tip of a smaller tooth that had been broken off on impact. It looked to be about a hand span in length but at least twice that across. It was certainly too big to be worn like the much smaller tooth that Ruff wore around her neck. Tuff's piece looked like a longer narrower fragment that had splintered off somehow.

"So what do you think you'll be able to do with it?" Fish asked.

"I think I could make this into a helmet maybe, or a bowl or something like that," Snout said.

"I'm thinking I could make a knife or spear point out of mine," Tuff added.

"Well it looks like everyone has something to take back except you, Fish. You want to look for something?" Hiccup asked.

The normally shy, hulking youth, was thinking along those lines but didn't want to say anything and he was still having a tough time voicing his desires.

"Come on. Like, I'll show you where we found some of those diamond stones. There's lots there," Ruff said.

Fish nodded and climbed to his feet and went off with Ruff, the other's watching the retreating backs of the mismatched pair. Tuff just shook his head and they began talking again about what options the tooth fragments offered. It wasn't long before Fish and Ruff returned, the boy holding a sizeable chunk of the rock that had yielded up the raw diamonds. Everyone secured their treasures and climbed aboard their now fully awake dragons and began the flight home.

It was after sunset but only mid afternoon by the time they came in for a landing on one of the pastures. The six teens sent their dragons off to feed and went in search of Stoick to make their report. They found him at home, sitting at the table, looking at a map and some sheets of parchment.

"Hi, dad. We're back," Hiccup said as they walked in.

"Ah, good. Come in and tell me what you discovered," the big man said.

Hiccup could tell his father appeared relieved they were back but otherwise he gave nothing else away.

Each of the teens laid out what they had picked up. When Stoick saw the tooth fragments his eyes tightened a bit but it passed quickly. When Tuff mentioned his idea Stoick suggested the tooth might make better knife handles since it might be too brittle for a blade, but Gobber would know that better. When it came to the mineral samples he examined each closely, nodding his head as if he expected something of the kind would be found.

"Well, you've brought back some valuable materials, both for what they are and what they tell us might be in the future. You can of course keep them for yourselves. I'd ask you not to talk too openly about it just yet. There are some things that need to be addressed and then we'll make an announcement to the whole village. Thank you for all your hard work. I'd suggest you let your families know that you're home safe and get something to eat. And get ready for a very busy summer," he said with a bit of a grin.

The twins and the two boys scooped up their prizes and left the house talking excitedly. Astrid gave Hiccup a hug from behind as he sat on the bench and kissed his cheek.

"I'll come back over after dinner. We can play some Tafl," she said.

"Okay, I'll see you later," Hiccup replied.

When father and son were alone they looked at each other across the table. Hiccup was the first to speak. He gestured to the mineral samples and said,

"This is going to cause trouble, isn't it?"

"It might, son. We've discussed it a great deal and the elders and I have decided that as much as possible we'll see that the whole village shares in what might be realized from what's in and on the beach. But it was also decided that because of what you did that day and what you suffered for it, you'll have rights to a bit more," Stoick said.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll receive one part in twenty of everything that is taken from the beach."

"What? You mean everything? Gold, copper, diamonds?" the boy said in amazement.

"That's right. It was felt that you'll likely never acquire the size to make a successful blacksmith but you have a lot of talent for making things so having access to the copper and gold and such would allow you to make a very good living. It was feared that the loss of your leg plus what I just mentioned could create a lot of problems for your future. We all felt we owed you more than that. Based on what you made for Astrid and me, and the mechanisms you created for Toothless, that's were your future lies. That and some exploring."

Hiccup sat at the table, looking down as the mineral samples in front of him, then back up at his father. Behind the blinking, slightly baffled eyes a lot of thoughts were racing. One forced its way forward.

"What trouble might there be? You didn't say."

"We're more concerned about outside trouble. Like I told you before, once it becomes known that the island holds great value we can expect other's to show an interest," Stoick said seriously.

This comment focused Hiccup's mind quickly and an entirely different series of thoughts emerged.


	10. Chapter 10

Forever After, Chapter 10

The days leading up to the long summer day of continuous sunshine were busy, almost frantic. Snout and Tuff were back at the boat beach helping get the new and older boats ready for what many expected to be nearly continuous journeys. Legs was also helping but a good part of his days were spent with Ruff observing and working with the dragons trying to learn all they could. One thing they were able to find was a small group of Terrors that had found themselves a nice rookery of sorts in the cliffs not far from the village. Hiccup was happy for this news because he still had his promise to the little girl, Ingrid, to try and find her a Terror.

Hiccup had some time to himself to work on the projects that his finds of gold and copper allowed. The hard work of the winter repairing and refurbishing the metal fittings recovered from the wrecked ships had been completed and with no attacks from dragons, there was little in the way of damaged weapons to repair. Several villagers had requested he create some decorative items similar to what he had made for his dad. Since little in the way of currency existed in the isolated village, Hiccup was bartering his services in the expectation that at some point in the not too distant future, he would be setting up a household of his own.

The pack ice was breaking up under the increasing sunshine and the first ships were being readied for expeditions to the volcanic island. Several were being prepared to set up mining on the stony beach while the rest were going to support the transfer of sheep to the pasture within the bowl. Work had been ongoing in establishing a small outpost that would serve as shelter for the shepherds as well as a staging point for more extensive exploration of the area.

Hiccup would be the first to admit that despite his physical condition he was happier than he had ever been. He had gained the respect of his father and the other villagers. His observations and conclusions about the dragons had been proven correct and not only had the scourge been lifted but they were actually turning out to be valuable partners in making Berk more livable. He had a growing circle of friends and last, but certainly foremost, there was Astrid.

Every evening after their work for the day had been completed was spent together, at first in the Hall when it was still cold but as the days warmed they took to finding comfortable if isolated locations to watch the sunset, while it still did. As they had that first time, Astrid had taken to sitting behind Hiccup as they would if they were flying on Toothless, holding onto him tightly. Hiccup wasn't sure if this was out of possessiveness or of a more protective instinct but he wasn't really interested in finding out at the moment, just so long as it continued.

Despite these idyllic conditions, he was getting a little anxious about getting back to the island so he could see for himself more of what the sheltered bowl had to offer in the way of opportunities to explore. He had dropped a few hints with his father since the six teens had returned from their second trip to the stony beech but so far Stoick had given only vague promises. One thing he had decided he needed to accomplish was fulfilling his promise to Ingrid.

He had visited the spot where the roosting Terrors had been located and he had gotten them used to his presence by bringing small quantities of fish and leaving it for them. As he had observed earlier, the little dragons were more than willing to be friendly in exchange for feeding and petting. He arranged with Astrid to set aside some time and together they brought little Ingrid to a spot near the roost. The girl was wide eyed as she watched the small dragons bask in the sun and take the occasional flight.

From a small basket, Hiccup pulled out some small pieces of fish. He tossed one out and they waited to see what reaction they got. A couple of the flying ones swooped in but those sleeping in the sun didn't seem to want to be bothered.

"I think they must have already eaten," Hiccup whispered.

He handed Ingrid a piece of fish and gestured for her to throw it. She did so and let out a little squeal of glee as a Terror swooped in and snatched it up. She tossed out several more and the same little dragon claimed them all. It finally landed and stood facing the small party, bouncing a little on its front legs.

"Now here comes the fun part," Hiccup said. "Take a piece and hold it out and see if it will come and take it from your hand."

Ingrid looked at him wide eyed and he nodded encouragingly. The girl moved a bit closer to the Terror and held out a larger chunk of fish, her hand trembling a little. The little dragon stopped its bouncing and regarded the offered morsel, turning its head from side to side. Finally it moved forward and deftly snatched the piece from Ingrid's hand. It gulped it down quickly and then moved even closer and began to rub its head against her hand. Ingrid began to giggle.

"Its skin is so soft," she said in amazement.

After a few minutes of rubbing the Terror's head and neck, the little dragon backed away and took off to rejoin its nest mates.

"Oh, it flew away," Ingrid said in obvious disappointment.

"Don't worry, Ingrid," Astrid said. "You've made a friend. We'll come back again during the next few days and bring more fish. The question is, if it does follow you home, what will your parents think?"

"I don't know, but they don't pay much attention to me as it is. I have all those brothers and sisters," the little girl said.

Astrid and Hiccup exchanged a look that suggested that no matter how many children there might be in that house, the appearance of a Terrible Terror was not likely to go unnoticed. True to her word, however, Astrid brought Ingrid to the dragon roost and after the third trip the Terror followed them home. Astrid remained with the younger girl for a while and then when Ingrid was called inside to eat, the little dragon flew up and found a comfortable spot in the thatched roof of the house. Astrid silently hoped the little creature didn't have any problems in its sleep that might set the roof on fire.

A couple of weeks later Hiccup got the news he was waiting for. With the sheep outpost established, his father consented to the young Vikings going on a exploration trip to the bowl for several days since all the able bodied members of the village were either working at their usual tasks or had been enlisted to work the mines or digging up peat or watching over the sheep. Stoick and his advisors wanted to know more about the forested slopes. This would be their assignment. To use their dragons and their feet to begin discovering what sorts of trees and creatures made the steep, rocky slopes their homes.

The six teens left early one morning, their dragons laden with sacks of food and equipment. Hiccup had his rock hammer/walking stick and everyone was carrying their small axes that they had been given. Their enthusiasm was high but they also realized that this was serious business and even the twins were trying to conduct themselves accordingly, with mixed results.

As they flew westward they could see that the sea ice was long gone and ships from Berk were spotted occasionally, the crews waving as the dragons flew overhead. Hiccup was tempted to make a stop at the stony beach but his father made a very strong suggestion that they proceed directly to the little outpost on the edge of the grassland and get started with the job at hand. As they passed over the barrier wall from the south they saw the small flock of sheep, dwarfed by the expanse of grass. They could see the small huts that had been constructed of stone taken from the base of the slopes with a clearing trampled in the grass.

The five dragons swooped in for a landing and the youngsters jumped, slid or almost fell off their respective mounts. As they began to collect their gear and supplies, a familiar figure emerged from one of the huts. It was Astrid's father. As the girl ran to greet her father, Hiccup could only shake his head. It looked like this trip was going to be all business.

"Welcome, everyone," Astrid's father said, one arm still draped around her shoulder. "Stoick sent word you'd be arrivin'. You can place all your gear in the last hut there. We'll work out sleepin' arrangements later. Let's take a walk over there," he finished, pointing towards the edge of the field. As he led them towards the trees, Astrid asked,

"So, dad, how are things looking here?"

"Very good, Astrid. The sheep seem to like the grass and it may be too early to tell but it appears they are recoverin' from the winter faster here. We are very hopeful. It would appear you've made a very important discovery."

As they reached the edge of the grass it was obvious that some form of creature had been grazing here. Looking to either side it was also evident that whatever it was it did so as far as the eye could see in either direction. The strip of grazed grass only extended about a dozen paces out from under the trees. Whatever the creature was, it was very careful about moving out from under cover. Hiccup wondered if the dragons hunted here.

It was also clear that the 'base' of the slope was in fact not really the slope but a significant pile of scree that had slid down off the slope proper. Fishlegs moved forward and began to examine the stones and boulders. He picked up a piece and turned to show the others.

"This looks a lot like the rock we climbed over at the stony beach, but a lot older."

"So, you still think this is all part of some old volcano?" Hiccup asked.

"I think so."

"Well, considering how old these trees look, it doesn't appear that there has been any rockslides for a long time, so that's a good sign," Hiccup said, "but those slopes look like they'll be tricky to walk around on."

"How do you think we ought to handle it?" Astrid asked.

"I'd say let the more able bodied start from down here and see what there is to see and I'll take Toothless and fly around and see if there might be some spots higher up where he could land. It might be easier going further up," he replied.

"Alright, but if you go flying, I'm coming with you. You're not going up there alone," Astrid said firmly.

Hiccup gave her a quizzical look and then said,

"You know, if you keep this up we're going to wind up joined at the hip."

Astrid's eyebrows shot up and she punched Hiccup on the arm, but it was more for the look of the thing because it barely caused him to move. He gave his arm a bit of rub and then said to no one in particular,

"Well, I guess she really does love me to pull her punches that way."

Astrid gave him a hard look and then started laughing, as did the others, as she grabbed him around the neck and planted a big kiss on his cheek. Once she let go of him, Hiccup climbed back up on Toothless and gave Astrid a hand up. With a wave the dragon vaulted upward and began a steady climb for altitude. Despite having flown in just a short while before, Toothless seemed eager and happy to be back in the air again. He quickly had them level with the top of the ridge that created the bowl. Hiccup turned his head and said,

"Toothless seems strong enough. We'll let him take us completely around the bowl. I get the feeling I haven't had him flying as much as I should."

"We're still learning about what they can do, Hiccup," Astrid said, her mouth close to his ear.

Hiccup loved when she did that but it did affect his concentration. So it was Astrid who was the first to call out a promising looking spot to set down on.

"Look, Hiccup," she said, "about halfway up the slope just ahead."

"Looks promising, want to try it?" he asked.

"Of course I do."

"Ok, Toothless, can you get us in there?" Hiccup asked.

The dragon warbled a bit and began a shallow descent towards the opening in the trees the Astrid had spotted. As they drew closer, the surface began to resolve into a rough gravel that looked only moderately stable. As they got within a few dozen feet Toothless back winged strongly and dropped lightly on the loose surface. Fortunately, the Night Fury had large foot pads that provided plenty of purchase but he kept his wings extended for balance. Since he had come in with his head pointing up hill, Hiccup and Astrid were able to slide off and use the leading edge of his wing like a railing to steady themselves until that got a feel for the ground.

"Not the best place in the world, is it?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup pulled his rock hammer/walking stick from Toothless' saddle and used it to probe the gravel. The rocks varied in size from pebbles to the equivalent of hens' eggs but didn't move much as he pushed at them.

"Could be worse but we need to be really careful or we won't stop rolling until we hit a tree down there somewhere," Hiccup said.

Astrid looked up the slope at the thinly spaced, smaller trees. Then she looked down hill and saw much the same.

"Hiccup, does this look strange to you? If a rockslide from the top cleared this path and the trees are just starting to grow back, why not here? What would have left this opening?"

"Beats me. Maybe this patch was open before the slide and there's nothing in the ground to grow back?" he said with a bit of a shrug. "I think Legs is our man to figure something like that out."

"You're probably right. I'm going to try climbing up to the edge there and poke around in the trees. Please be careful," Astrid said.

"Aren't I always?" he asked in return.

"Um, no, in fact, you're not. So watch were you step," she replied and then started carefully walking up hill.

Hiccup decided he'd keep going along Toothless' wing and then cross the gap to the thicker, taller trees to the side of the clearing. He used the walking stick on his down hill side to steady himself and kept most of his weight on his good right leg. It gave him an odd gate but it's not like anyone was watching him. Except for Toothless, of course. He made slow but steady progress and was into the tree line soon enough.

While not as large as the massive firs on the opposite side of the island from Berk, they were certainly large enough to be of interest to his father. He looked at the ground where needles filled crevices between larger stones. It would take more skill than he had to determine what kind of animals might be about if it was all like this.

He poked and prodded the ground and it was still much the same. Fir needles above a damp compost packed in and around various sized rocks and tree roots made Hiccup concentrate on the ground until a prickling feeling on the back of his neck brought him up short. He stood up, bracing himself on the walking stick and looked around. Shadows obscured anything beyond a few dozen feet. He was still looking closely when he heard Astrid calling to him.

"Hiccup, I think we should get going."

"On my way."

He took one last look into the shadows but could see nothing, even though the hairs on his neck were still standing. He retraced his steps and came out of the trees back onto the gravel of the clearing. The spring loaded lower portion of his artificial leg wasn't well suited for this kind of maneuvering. If he had any true ambitions to become Hiccup the mighty explorer he was going to have to work on something more suitable. As he was walking across the slope, Astrid was cautiously picking her way down the last few feet to Toothless.

"See anything interesting?" she asked Hiccup.

"Big trees that my Dad will like knowing about. It's hard to make out anything on the ground. It's either covered in needles or rocks poking through. What about you?"

"Nothing interesting. Lots of this stuff," she indicated the gravel with a boot toe. "The trees look like they grew up through it."

Hiccup nodded and then turned to look back into the trees.

"What is it?" Astrid asked.

"When I was in under the trees it felt like I was being watched. The hair on the back of my neck was standing up."

"Do you think it might have been one of the animals that has been grazing on the edge of the grassland?" she asked.

"Don't know. It might not have even been anything real it's just…Hey, did you see that?" he asked excitedly.

"See what, sweetheart? I was looking at you."

"Back there, near where I came out of the trees, back in a bit. I thought I saw something come out of the shadows," he said.

"What, like a deer or mountain goat?"

"No, more upright and kinda a hairy, but hunched over at the shoulders," he replied.

Astrid turned from looking into the trees to regard Hiccup squarely.

"Please do not tell me that you think you saw a troll," she said, her tone even but still conveying more than a little scorn.

"I didn't say it was a troll. I said it was upright and hairy with hunched shoulders."

"Which sounds an awful lot like a…"

"Troll, yeah, I know. Maybe we should be getting back. Guess I'm getting tired," Hiccup said mildly, but his mind was on fire with the possibilities.


	11. Chapter 11

Forever After, Chapter 11

**Authors note: This is a reposting of this chapter. Apparently the original post was minus all qoutation marks, some other marks and a few paragraph breaks. Not sure why this happened. I'm using Open Office saved as a .txt file. Anyone know, drop me a line. For those of you who read the original and gleaned anything from it, my congratulations.**

Toothless back winged to a landing in the grass near the shepherds huts. The others were dragging the last of some firewood to the cooking pit that had been constructed of rocks from the edge of the trees. Hiccup unlatched himself from the control pedal with practiced ease and slid off of his saddle before Astrid could undo her restraining straps.

"Hey, guys, wait til you hear about what I saw," he called out as he hurried as best he could toward the fire pit.

"Hiccup!" Astrid called after him, her voice full of pleading.

By the time she was able to catch up to him he was already facing the other four teens and describing what he believed he saw. While outwardly appalled that he was going to tell their friends about seeing a troll, inwardly she was pretty impressed that he was able to move that fast on only one good leg. As she came up to Hiccup s side she could see the looks on the faces of the others. Ruff looked curious, Legs appeared to be a bit skeptical and the other two boys were clearly not believing any of it.

"Come on, Hiccup. A troll?" Tuff said. "Those are just for telling scary stories around a fire at night. Do you know anyone that s ever really seen one?"

"Yeah, Gobber said he saw one a long time ago on the other side of the island, back before he lost his leg and hand."

The look on Tuff s face said it all. Gobber wasn t considered all that reliable in the story telling department. In typical fashion, Ruff hauled off and punched her bother on the upper arm.

"Hey, Hiccup was right about the dragons wasn t he? And he was right about how to deal with the monster and then all that stuff on the beach. Like, maybe he s right again," she said, smiling at him.

She completely missed the look that Astrid gave her. In the meantime, Astrid s father had walked up and said,

"Don t be so quick to dismiss the idea of trolls, youngsters. They have been part of Viking traditions for as long as the sagas record them. Personally, I ve never seen one but it wouldn t surprise me to see one walk out of these trees. Keep your eyes and ears open," he said before walking off.

Hiccup chose not to press his advantage and walked over to sit down on a small section of tree trunk that had been placed near the fire pit. Astrid came over and crouched down next to him.

"How's the leg?"

"A little sore. Walking around up there was a little stressful," he admitted.

"How about if I heat up some water and soak a towel in it? That might take some of the soreness away."

"Thank you, that would be great," Hiccup replied with a smile.

Astrid picked up a cast iron kettle and hurried to the nearest small pond and filled it with water. When she returned she found Ruff talking quietly with Hiccup while the boys broke up the various limbs with their hand axes for firewood. She placed the kettle at the edge of the fire and then walked over to Hiccup.

"Do you need a hand getting that off," she said, indicating his artificial limb.

"Thanks, but I think I can manage that," he said as he began to unbuckle the leather straps and then eased the prosthesis off.

"Ahh, that feels much better."

He pulled up the leg of his pants and took off the soft wool sock. From the knee down what remained of his leg was red and puffy. When he looked up he saw the look of dismay on Astrid s face.

"Oh, sweetheart, that looks really painful. You need to take it easy for a while. I'll be back in a bit with those warm cloths. Don't move."

Hiccup watched with a bemused expression on his face. Astrid was being almost overly solicitous and bordering on the domestic. He leaned back and closed his eyes a bit. She was right. After trying to support his weight on the steep rocky slope, the stump of his lower left leg was painfully inflamed. He had a feeling his career as a famous explorer was going to have to wait until the leg fully healed, or spend his time searching from the air.

He opened his eyes when he heard Astrid walking back through the cut down grass. She was holding a damp cloth and when she was close enough she knelt down and gently placed it on his injured leg. Hiccup flinched a bit when first contact was made and then sighed a bit as the just warm enough cloth started to leech out some of the pain. She gently wrapped it all around the stump and tucked in the upper edge to hold it in place.

"How does that feel?" she asked.

"Better, thank you."

"Let me know when it starts to get cool and I'll soak it again. Just stay here, understood?" she said, the last part sounding more like the Astrid he was used to.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a grin that got one in return.

Once the fire had burned down to a thick layer of red coals, one of the other shepherds brought out meat and bread dough and began to prepare supper for them all. Astrid's father came over to Hiccup and said,

"How's the leg, son?"

"Better than it was, sir. Astrid is doing a a good job," he replied with a smile.

"She's a smart girl. You better plan on stayin' off that slope for a while. It's too rugged. But no worries, there's plenty to see down here," her father said.

"Um, besides grass and water, sir?"

"Oh, yes. But I don't want to spoil anythin' for you. What about your friends? What are we going to do about feeding them?"

"No worries, sir. We'll let them hunt for themselves. The sea is close enough. They'll leave your sheep alone as long as we're here," Hiccup replied with a laugh.

"I'm pleased to hear that," Mr. Hofferson said before walking over to check on the food preparation.

The meal that followed was plain but plentiful and for a group of teen-agers, filling was more important. They talked while they ate. The shepherds had seen no signs of any dragons that didn't have someone riding them. They hadn't spotted any unusual animals but had heard a number of unfamiliar sounds coming from the trees. The short nights didn't produce anything to be afraid off, either. It wasn't long after they had eaten that the idea of sleep started to sound like a good one.

The hut builders figured they didn't want to have to come back out another time so they built several extra huts against the need when the flock got larger and more shepherds would be needed. This allowed the two girls and four boys to have separate accommodations. Even so, Hiccup and Astrid managed to get in a very satisfactory good night kiss, when her father just happened to make himself scarce.

From inside the boys hut came the sounds of laughing and a few comments with the word troll rather prominent but it seemed to be of the good-natured sort. Things were a bit more serious in the girls' hut. By the dim light of a fat tallow candle, Astrid sat on the edge of a rough wooden bed frame running a sharpening stone down the edge of the hand ax that had been presented to her for her part in destroying the monster dragon. The stone was flat on one side and rounded on the other and fit very comfortably in Astrid's hand. The sound that the flat side made as it was pulled along the edge of the steel blade, while not overtly annoying, did have a way of working on your nerves a bit and give you that uncomfortable feeling on the back of your neck. Ruff sat on her bed watching Astrid work and when her friend looked up at her she smiled a bit.

"You know, Ruff, I just wanted to mention something to you," Astrid began.

"Um, like, okay."

"You consider yourself Hiccup's friend, right?"

"Well, like, sure. We're all friends now. But, like, he went out of his way to make sure I knew he thought we were friends," Ruff replied, looking a little confused.

"Yes, I know. And I'm glad that he did. I'm glad that he is your friend. But understand this, Astrid said, pointing the hand ax at the other girl. He is my everything. That first kiss you gave him that time was a free one and it was your last. Understood?" she asked and for emphasis bought the ax down to stick in the top of the crude bedpost with a dull thunk.

"Oh, um, like, yeah, sure, no problem," Ruff said, her eyes wide.

"Good," Astrid said with a confident smile. "I wouldn't want anything to get in the way of us being friends."

Ruff's answering smile was a lot less confident. The following morning she made a brief inquiry as to Hiccup's well being and then spent the rest of the time talking with or just being around Fishlegs. Astrid did her best to make sure that Hiccup was well fed and doing as little as possible to aggravate his leg.

"Yes, I know I need to stay off the leg, but how am I supposed to see anything if I can't move around any?" Hiccup said, a bit exasperated.

"Why do you have to see anything at all right now?" Astrid responded. "What's wrong with just taking it easy for a bit? You've worked hard all winter long helping get the fleet ready. You need to rest or that leg will get worse and they may have to take more of it off, did you consider that?"

"The girl has a point, young fella," interjected one of the other shepherds. "Gobber pulled the same stunt when he lost his leg. Didn't give it enough time to heal proper and it almost killed him. Was touch and go there for a while. I know us big strong Viking men don't like it when the womenfolk try to tell us what to do, but the smart ones know when it's time to listen and you're supposed to be a smart one."

Hiccup blew out a long breath and then said,

"Okay, but if I have to sit here then you have to sit here and keep me company. And if that's going to be the case then maybe you can teach me something."

"Well, of course I'm going to stay here with you. What is it you want me to teach you?" she asked.

"Um, you can teach me how to throw this," he said holding up his own hand ax. "I'm probably the only Viking that doesn't know how to throw an ax properly."

Astrid smiled and said,

"I guess I can teach you the basics right here but we'll have to figure something out for the practice part since we have to do that standing up."

With that Astrid sat down and showed Hiccup how he should hold the ax, how his arm should swing as he brought it back over his shoulder and then follow through and release. Then she stood up and demonstrated how it all worked. Hiccup frowned when he saw how she stepped forward with one leg as her arm swept forward.

"Um, Astrid, isn t that going to be a problem?" he said, glancing meaningfully at her stance.

"Well, that s the best way to do it, sweetheart, but we can work around it and once your leg is feeling better we can practice with you taking a full stride. I think that springy bit on the end might be a problem here, too. You should probably think of something that will give you a firm footing."

After going through the motions a number of times, the two moved over to where the trees began and picked out a likely target. So just stand here and try and get it to stick. Don t throw too hard in case it bounces back.

Hiccup tried balancing on the one crude crutch as he concentrated on smoothly bringing the hand ax forward in a smooth motion. It did hit the center of the tree trunk but had over rotated just a bit and the top of the ax head made contact and the ax rebounded a bit and dropped to the grass. Astrid looked at him and said,

"Not bad, really, especially with you not being able to move well enough. Try not to snap the wrist quite so hard."

She retrieved the fallen ax and brought it back to Hiccup. He tried again and was rewarded with the ax just stuck in the bark with the upper edge of the blade. He made several more attempts and although none of them could match Astrid's for being solidly embedded in the tree, it was clear he was making progress. As she carried both their axes back to where he stood she smiled.

"You're doing great, sweetheart. We'll make a Viking of you yet," she said and then froze when she saw Hiccup regard her with raised eyebrows. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said it like that."

Hiccup saw the chagrined look on her face and smiled a bit. He extended his free arm and pulled her into an embrace.

"It's okay, Astrid. I know it's hard to break the habits of a lifetime and I don't look like much of one so it's understandable."

"I know it should, but that doesn't help much. I still feel terrible," she said as she put both arms around him and held him tightly. "Come on, I think we've done enough here for today. Let's go see what they have for lunch."

As Hiccup hobbled and Astrid walked alongside carrying the two axes, it was clear that her inadvertent reference to his less than Viking demeanor was still weighing heavily on the girl. He was wise enough to know anything he said at the moment wouldn't help so he decided to go for some distraction.

"So did your dad give you any idea about what he was referring to when he said there would be plenty for me to see without going up on the slopes?"

"Not really. He did mention something about the warm water pools at the edge of the meadow and the marshier ground over that way," she said pointing to the northwest section of the bowl. "But I don't know if he was referring to plants or animals or whatever. I know a couple of the dragons had been nosing around the pools but I don't know if they found anything worth eating there."

"Maybe Toothless can hop us over for a look after we eat," Hiccup offered.

"Okay, but you're still not putting your leg on."

"Yes, ma'am, he replied with grin and he was happy to see he got one in return."

Lunch turned out to be a fish stew, provided mostly by Snoutlout's dragon, Rumbles, who returned from feeding earlier with a large fish in his talons. As Hiccup sat on the same section of trunk with his bowl of stew in his lap, Toothless reclined next to him, apparently asleep. When Hiccup mentioned the idea of a short hop to the edge of the meadow for a look see, the big green eyes popped open and Toothless raised his head, warbling the question.

"Okay, Toothless, I see you're in favor of the idea. Anyone else want to go along?"

He got positive responses from Tuffnut and Snoutlout but Fishlegs said he wanted to take a look along the edge of the trees for signs of animals and Ruffnut volunteered to help him. Hiccup missed the look she gave him and then Astrid, who was watching and nodded once. So after lunch, Hiccup and Astrid climbed aboard Toothless and RatnTat took Snout and Tuff and they made the quick glide to the end of the meadow that met the pools and marshes at the far west end of the bowl. As the four friends climbed down Snout said,

"Okay, so what are we looking for?"

"I'm not really sure. Astrid's dad suggested that there was plenty to see over here but wasn't real specific about anything. Maybe there's some animals or something in the water," Hiccup offered.

With the dragons looking on from behind, the four teens moved along the edges of the pools. Hiccup had to be especially careful since the edges were a bit soft and his makeshift crutch wanted to sink in if he leaned on it to heavily. Snout sniffed at the air and said,

"Smells like old chicken eggs. Where's that coming from?"

Tuff pointed to the far edge of the warm pool and said,

"Look at all those bubbles, maybe it's that."

"It does smell like some of the stuff coming from that volcano near the beach," Hiccup offered. "I wonder how hot the water is."

Before anyone could answer, RatnTat, made a sort of leaping dive and plunged into the dark water. The teens shouted but it was obvious that the dragon was more than happy to be in the water. Most of the dragon's body was submerged but the heads made plunging dives under the surface and then settled in until only the tops of the head and snout were above water. Toothless made a less dramatic entrance and simply walked into the water and with wings folded along his back paddled around. The churning of the water increased the sulfurous smell but not to uncomfortable levels. Hiccup laughed as he said,

"Terrific. We come all the way out here and the first useful thing we discover is a dragon bath."

"I dunno," Astrid replied, "if someone lays claim to it and charges a fee, they could get pretty rich. I bet this will be pretty popular come winter."

While obviously meant as a joke, which she and Hiccup laughed about, Snout and Tuff shared looks that were much more speculative in nature. Then the four turned and watched as the two dragons continued to enjoy the warm sulfur spring.


End file.
